Austria

Austrian Plant Phenotyping Network (APPN): www.appn.at

plantsciences@vbcf.ac.at

Austria’s motivation for joining EMPHASIS is quite simple: we want to be part of a strong European network where knowledge, infrastructures, and ideas are shared. For us, membership means our researchers gain better access to top-level facilities across Europe, but it also gives Austria the chance to bring its own expertise and facilities into play and to have a stronger voice in shaping where the field of plant phenotyping is heading. 

The Austrian Plant Phenotyping Network (APPN) is not a single institute, but a group of partners spread across the country. The Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities (VBCF), the Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI), the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), the University of Vienna, and the University of Innsbruck are among the main members, but the network is open and continues to grow. Together we cover many different layers of phenotyping: automated imaging in growth chambers at PHENOPlant at VBCF, controlled greenhouse experiments, field phenotyping, drone and satellite-based monitoring, and strong capacities in data handling, modeling, and AI-based analysis. 

What makes the Austrian community special is how interdisciplinary it has become. Biologists, agronomists, ecologists, engineers, and data scientists all work side by side, often on the same projects. This creates a culture where technical innovation, fundamental biology, and applied crop research feed into each other. APPN is not only about sharing infrastructure, but also about connecting people who approach plant research from very different angles. 

Austria may not be the biggest country in Europe, but our landscape offers something unique to the phenotyping community: the ability to study both alpine ecosystems and major crop systems within short distances of each other. A fun example that we like to share; it’s possible to spend the morning collecting alpine species in the Tyrolean mountains and then, on the same day, return to Vienna and run a fully automated phenotyping experiment in a state-of-the-art phytotron. This range from mountain environments to high-tech chambers really captures the diversity of research here. 

And a lighter fact about us: Austria is famous for its coffeehouse culture, and it’s no exaggeration to say that many scientific ideas and collaborations here begin over a cup of coffee. APPN carries on that tradition; researchers meet across institutions and disciplines, and often the first spark of a project is as much about conversation and community as it is about technology. 

Through APPN, Austria is committed to being an active member of EMPHASIS, offering services and expertise, collaborating across borders, and contributing to solutions for some of the biggest challenges we face today: climate change, biodiversity loss, and food security.