Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMU) is a public university, established in 1951. It is the centre of research and development in the fields of agriculture, forestry, animal science, veterinary science, rural life and economy, food science and environmentally-friendly technologies in Estonia. According to QS World University Rankings by Subject (2017), EMU is one of top 100 universities in the world in the field of agriculture and forestry, ranked 51 to 100. EMU also belongs to the top 1% most cited research facilities in the world in the field of plant and animal science as well as environment and ecology. In its development plan for 2025 EMÜ has defined its goal to become internationally recognized university in the field of bio-economy. Internationally competitive research and development work, which forms a basis for teaching at all levels of higher education, as well as activities promoting the development of the society in their areas of responsibility are the striving force of the University.

EMU is a leading institution for research, teaching and training in the forestry, biodiversity conservation, climate adaption, agricultural and environmental sciences, bio-economy in the Baltic Region. The Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (IAES)  is  an interdisciplinary research and educational centres for among others sustainable forestry, novel business models in forestry and agriculture, sustainable growth of rural areas, management of landscapes and natural resources, biodiversity, environmental economics, mapping and evaluation ecosystem services, nature based solutions.

In Spring semester 2018/2019 there are around 2890 students enrolled at the university, from which 8,7% are international degree students. Additionally, EMÜ receives about 140 exchange students each year. EMÜ employs 938 staff members (incl 413 academic staff members).

EMU’s expertise is widely used by European and international organisations, in collaborative projects. EMU was involved in several projects related to the present proposal AlterNet, EUMON, BIOPLATFORM, GEM- EBONE, ESMERALDA, BlueHealth, MANTEL etc and several ERASMUS+ Projects (IntASE,  EduSapMan, Quals, Sunraise, INTENSE, FACES).