Since its launch in 2025, the Forest Invasion Synthesis Centre Prague (FISC) has been attracting world-class scientists to the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences and connecting CZU to the global network of invasion ecology. Through lectures, symposia, and collaborative research, FISC opens new opportunities for international cooperation and high-impact science. By linking international experts, producing high-impact research, and representing CZU at leading scientific forums, FISC is building the faculty’s reputation as a strong international player in addressing forest invasions.
The Forest Invasion Synthesis Centre, Prague (FISC), based at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, has quickly established itself as a hub for international collaboration and excellence in invasion ecology. Since its launch in early 2025, the Centre has hosted several world-renowned experts whose lectures have been made available online (HERE) ensuring that a wide audience can benefit from their insights even beyond the walls of the faculty.
FISC was founded thanks to a prestigious ERA Chair grant under the Horizon Europe programme, which also enabled the arrival of Dr. Andrew M. Liebhold, one of the world’s leading entomologists and authorities on forest invasive species. As Chief Scientist, Dr. Liebhold is spearheading the Centre’s activities and building a strong interdisciplinary research team.
The Centre builds on the proven model of synthesis centers, which successfully foster socio-ecological research worldwide. Instead of traditional academic departments, FISC operates through working groups that bring together scientists, innovators, and practitioners from diverse institutions and countries. These groups convene two to three times a year for intensive week-long sessions focused on specific challenges in invasion ecology, while continuing their collaboration through online consultations, visits, and joint publications. You can learn more in Dr. Liebhold’s lecture available on the FISC website.
FISC not only attracts experts from around the world to Prague but also actively represents the Faculty and the University internationally. In September 2025, for example, Chief Scientist Dr. Liebhold was invited as a speaker at the prestigious European Research and Innovation Days in Brussels, where he addressed the pressing issue of biological invasions in forests.
In addition to lectures and events, FISC produces regular scientific outputs in the form of research papers, which you can also follow on the Centre’s website: www.forestinvasion.cz.
Through its activities, FISC significantly enhances the international visibility of CZU and the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, contributing to their position as important players in addressing global environmental challenges.
Project HIVE 101187384. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
