What BioSense Institute does

BioSense Institute is a research and development institute based in Novi Sad, Serbia, affiliated with the University of Novi Sad, focused on advanced technologies for sustainable agriculture. The institute combines multi-modal sensing — satellite imagery via its hosted Sentinel Data Hub for the European Space Agency, drone-based imaging (DJI Inspire 1), hyperspectral/multispectral/thermal cameras, and ground sensors — with applied AI/ML to deliver precision agriculture solutions including crop monitoring, soil analysis, yield prediction, and decision support. Its product portfolio centres on the AgroSense digital platform for farmers and is complemented by specialised hardware (Plant-O-Meter, FastMast), the RealForAll pollen monitoring platform, the NanoSense nanofabrication service, and two embedded insurance solutions (Smart Agro with Generali Insurance Serbia, DDOR TERRA).

The institute operates through three research centres — the Center for Sensing Technologies (CST), Center for Information Technologies (CIT), and Center for Biosystems (CBS) — and holds at least eight granted patents spanning AI-based wheat yield prediction, intelligent soil sampling robotics, fractal-geometry biosensor electrodes, real-time pollen classification, microwave soil moisture sensing, and photovoltaic infrared detectors. BioSense is the host of a Sentinel Data Hub for ESA satellite data and coordinates work packages within the Climate Farm Demo Horizon Europe consortium, which spans 66 partners across 27 countries and 1,500 pilot demo farmers through September 2029.

Revenue derives primarily from European Union research funding — including Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, FP7, COST, and IPA cross-border programmes — and from Serbian national and provincial government grants (Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation; Ministry of Agriculture; Provincial Secretariat for Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry of Vojvodina). Supplementary income comes from fee-based services (NanoSense, AgroSense platform, Smart Agro/DDOR insurance integrations) and startup programmes (BioSense Accelerator, BIOS In-Cube incubator). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; commercial arrangements are negotiated through partnerships, government contracts, and project-based agreements. The institute is recognised as a European Centre of Excellence under the ANTARES project and as Serbia's leading Digital Innovation Hub, with Director Prof. Dr Vladimir Crnojević serving on the UN Ten-Member Group supporting the Technology Facilitation Mechanism.

Name

BioSense Institute

Legal name

BioSense Institute (Istraživačko-razvojni institut za informacione tehnologije biosistema)

Website

https://biosens.rs

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BioSense Institute is a Serbia-based R&D institute affiliated with the University of Novi Sad, developing AI-driven precision agriculture technologies combining satellite, drone, and ground sensing with digital platforms for farmers, agribusinesses, insurers, and government partners across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Agriculture Technology Research

NAICS

Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Agricultural Services (700), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Decision Support & Agronomic Modeling (Yield, Irrigation, Pest/Disease Forecasting) (AFAAAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Precision Sensing & Monitoring (Soil/Weather Stations, In-Field Sensors, IoT) (AFAGALAB), IoT Farm Sensors & Edge Devices (Soil, Weather, Crop, Water) (AFAAAFAC), Satellite Imagery & Monitoring Platforms (AFAAAFAI), Remote Sensing & Imagery Analytics (Satellite, Drone, Aerial) (AFABAMAB), Crop Scouting & Pest/Disease Detection (Digital Scouting, Computer Vision, Alerts) (AFAGALAI), Field Mapping, GIS & Digital Agronomy (Zoning, Prescription Maps, Yield Maps, Spatial Analytics) (AFAGALAG), Remote Sensing & Imaging (Satellite, UAV/Drone, Aerial, Multispectral/Hyperspectral) (AFAGALAC)

Keywords

• Precision agriculture technology
• Satellite crop monitoring
• Agricultural AI research
• Agronomic sensor systems
• Digital farming platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Novi Sad

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. EU Research Funding: Majority of funding comes from European Union research programs including Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, FP7, COST, and IPA cross-border programs. Projects include ANTARES (Centre of Excellence), Climate Farm Demo, EUDAT 2020, DIATOMIC, and numerous other collaborative research initiatives.
2. National Government Funding: Funding from Serbian Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture, and Provincial Secretariat for Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry of Vojvodine.
3. Infrastructure Services (NanoSense): Fee-based nanofabrication and nanocharacterization services for industrial nanomaterial producers, including synthesis, processing, sintering, and training.
4. Digital Platform Services: AgroSense digital platform services for agricultural monitoring, RealForAll pollen monitoring services, and Smart Agro insurance support services for partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BioSense Institute conducts applied research and develops digital agriculture technologies, including the AgroSense platform that integrates satellite imagery (via its hosted Sentinel Data Hub for the European Space Agency), drone imaging, ground sensors, and AI analytics for crop monitoring and yield prediction. It markets patented hardware such as Plant-O-Meter, FastMast, and Agrobot, plus specialized platforms for pollen monitoring (RealForAll), agricultural insurance digital services (Smart Agro, DDOR TERRA), and nanofabrication infrastructure services (NanoSense). Commercial and grant-funded projects span precision farming, soil analysis, dairy cattle health, and bioaerosol detection for the Serbian government, EU research consortia, insurance partners, and individual farmers.

Product overview

BioSense Institute is a research and development institute that offers a portfolio of digital agricultural products and services. The core offering is the AgroSense digital platform for crop monitoring and agricultural planning, complemented by specialized hardware products including Plant-O-Meter for plant status assessment and FastMast for dairy cattle mastitis detection. The institute also provides the RealForAll pollen monitoring platform, Smart Agro and DDOR TERRA agricultural insurance solutions, and NanoSense nanofabrication services. Supporting programs include the BioSense Accelerator (3-month AgTech startup program) and BIOS In-Cube business incubator. Research activities are organized across three centers: Center for Sensing Technologies (CST), Center for Information Technologies (CIT), and Center for Biosystems (CBS), covering AI/machine learning, satellite and drone imaging, and biosystems research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AgroSense: Digital platform providing support to farmers and agricultural companies in monitoring crop growth and planning agricultural activities.
• Plant-O-Meter
• FastMast
• RealForAll
• NanoSense
• BioSense Accelerator
• BIOS In-Cube

Products and services

• AgroSense Digital platform for farmers and agricultural companies that delivers crop monitoring, satellite indices of photosynthesis intensity and water/nutrient availability, weather forecasting, and field management tools to support precision agriculture decisions.
• Plant-O-Meter Portable multispectral optical device that enables assessment of the physiological condition of plants, supporting crop care decisions through low-cost multispectral sensing.
• FastMast Mastitis detection system for dairy cattle providing early detection to reduce treatment cost and economic losses in dairy farming.
• RealForAll Platform for real-time pollen concentration measurement and forecasting that supports seasonal allergy prevention and management across the Croatia-Serbia cross-border area under the RealForAll IPA project.
• Smart Agro Agricultural insurance service delivered jointly with Generali Insurance Serbia that applies BioSense monitoring technology to address underwriting and claims challenges in agricultural insurance.
• DDOR TERRA Agricultural insurance information service delivered with DDOR that enables fast, transparent information flow and precise location data for insured agricultural assets.
• NanoSense Fee-based nanofabrication and nanocharacterization service developed through the EIT InfraBooster programme, offering synthesis, post-processing, sintering, advanced nanostructure fabrication, and training to industrial nanomaterial producers.
• BioSense Accelerator Intensive 3-month accelerator program for early-stage AgTech startups that bridges scientific research at BioSense with market-ready commercial ventures.
• BIOS In-Cube Business incubator program that supports entrepreneurial teams within scientific research organizations, focusing on commercialization of advanced solutions in agriculture, food production, ecology, and biosystems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Climate Farm Demo project coordinates 1,500 pilot demo farmers across 27 European countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability11 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and emerging.

• European Space Agency (ESA)coreTechnology or IntegrationBioSense hosts a Sentinel Data Hub for ESA satellite imagery, enabling processing and analysis of satellite data for agricultural monitoring across Serbia and the region. This provides unique access to large-scale satellite imagery for precision agriculture applications.
• Ministry of Agriculture of SerbiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExcellent collaboration with Serbian Ministry of Agriculture for digital transformation of agriculture across all segments. Joint initiatives for agricultural monitoring and policy support.
• Provincial Secretariat for Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry of VojvodinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose collaboration with provincial government body for agricultural policy implementation and regional agricultural development programs.
• Generali Insurance SerbiakeyTechnology or IntegrationSmart Agro partnership providing agricultural insurance services using BioSense monitoring technology to address challenges in agricultural insurance underwriting and claims processing.
• DDORkeyTechnology or IntegrationDDOR TERRA platform partnership for improving agricultural insurance services, enabling fast and transparent information flow between insurers and agricultural stakeholders.
• Delta AgrarkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor agricultural company partnership for digital transformation and implementation of precision agriculture technologies.
• MK GroupkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural business group partnership for digital agriculture initiatives and technology adoption.
• AgrivikeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Matija Žulj testimonial indicates strong collaboration on digital transformation of agriculture value chain with effective project coordination and communication.
• VSCHT PraguekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudy visit partnership under Know4nano project (WP4) for capacity building in project management, technology transfer, and intellectual property protection. VSCHT Research and Technology Transfer Office provides expertise sharing.
• Climate Farm Demo Consortium (66 partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorizon Europe project with 66 partners across 27 European countries. BioSense leads work packages for communication, exploitation, and dissemination, coordinating 1,500 pilot demo farmers through 4,500 demonstration events and 10 Living Labs.
• Horizon 2020/Europe Project PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple EU-funded research projects including DIATOMIC, eLTER, EUDAT 2020, Smart-AKIS, KATANA, AgriDemo-F2F, SKIN, INNO-4-AGRIFOOD, and others for agricultural technology research.
• University of Novi SadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBioSense Institute is institutional member of University of Novi Sad, enabling academic collaboration, student engagement, and research integration.
• BIOS In-Cube Startup TeamsemergingStrategic or Co-development Partner12 AgTech startup teams including Immunora, Biosensor Team, Myco To Bioworks, AgroEconData, EcoCorn Primer, and others participate in BIOS In-Cube incubator program for technology commercialization.
• SensUs OrganizationemergingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational student competition held annually in Eindhoven focused on innovative biosensor development for healthcare. VSCHT partnership exploring possibility of BioSense researcher engagement as mentors.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Taranis: Israel/US precision agriculture platform combining aerial imagery (drone and satellite) with AI-driven crop scouting and decision support. Direct overlap with BioSense's satellite/drone/AI crop monitoring offering and scaleup stage positioning.
• xFarm Technologies: European farm management software and IoT-sensing platform serving farmers and agri-businesses with similar decision-support functionality to AgroSense. Highly comparable on European farmer-SMB go-to-market.
• Gamaya: Swiss-headquartered company delivering satellite imagery and AI analytics for precision agriculture, with focus on crop monitoring, soil analysis, and digital agronomy. Highly comparable to BioSense's AgroSense platform and Sentinel/drone fusion stack.
• Farmers Edge: Canadian precision agriculture platform integrating satellite imagery, weather, and agronomic models to drive on-farm decision support and crop insurance insights. Directly comparable functionality to AgroSense across a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Climate FieldView (Bayer): Largest commercial digital agriculture platform globally, owned by Bayer, offering satellite imagery, agronomic modeling, and decision support. Comparable functionally to BioSense's AgroSense but at vastly broader scale and as part of an input-seeds-and-crop-protection portfolio.
• Trimble Agriculture: Established provider of GNSS-guided and precision-agriculture technology for crop monitoring, variable-rate application, and farm management. Overlaps with BioSense's geospatial sensing and decision-support capabilities across a much broader equipment-anchored portfolio.
• Syngenta Group (Cropwise): Global agriscience incumbent operating Cropwise digital platform for satellite imagery, agronomic recommendations, and farm management. Comparable functionality to BioSense at much larger scale via Syngenta's input-seeds-and-crop-protection distribution.
• Planet Labs: Global satellite imagery and geospatial analytics provider whose data feeds many precision-agriculture use cases. Comparable to BioSense on the satellite-imagery side of the stack, though BioSense embeds the data into a vertical AgTech platform while Planet sells data more broadly.

Emerging players

• AgriCircle: Switzerland-based precision agriculture platform focused on satellite-based yield prediction and crop monitoring for European agribusinesses. Closely comparable in scale, geography, and crop-monitoring focus to BioSense's AgroSense.

Others

• Airbus Defence and Space (Agri): Provides high-resolution satellite imagery and agricultural monitoring services via the Airbus imagery constellation. Comparable as a satellite-imagery supplier to the BioSense platform rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/biosensers
• Facebookfacebook.com/biosense.institute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biosense-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about BioSense Institute