The Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IEB), founded in 1962, is a leading research organisation in Central Europe dedicated to fundamental and applied research in experimental plant biology. Headquartered in Prague, with a major branch in Olomouc, the institute employs more than 250 researchers, technicians, and students. Its research focuses on plant genetics, plant reproduction, molecular biology, stress physiology, biotechnology, and phytopathology, addressing major societal challenges related to climate change, sustainable agriculture, and food security. IEB has established a strong international reputation through publications in top-tier journals such as Nature, Science, Annual Review of Plant Biology, Plant Physiology, The Plant Cell, and Journal of Experimental Botany. The institute regularly secures competitive funding from the European Commission (Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, MSCA, ERA-CAPS, WIDERA, ERC), the Czech Science Foundation (GAČR), and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. IEB provides advanced research infrastructure, including confocal and fluorescence microscopy, metabolomics and lipidomics platforms (LC-MS, GC-MS), transcriptomics and bioinformatics services, controlled-environment growth chambers, tissue culture facilities, and plant transformation platforms. The Olomouc branch is internationally recognised for chromosome biology and molecular genetics and hosts unique resources such as the barley BAC library and cytogenetics collections. The institute is committed to open science and FAIR data management, with all publications deposited in the Czech Academy’s open-access repository ASEP. Through its cutting-edge research, international collaborations, and training of PhD and MSc students in cooperation with Charles University, Masaryk University in Brno, and Palacký University Olomouc, IEB contributes to advancing plant biology and supporting sustainable agriculture and global food security.
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