Teaching and research activities are part of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, a comprehensive action plan aimed at biodiversity recovery in Europe by 2030 for the benefit of people, planet, climate and economy, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change. Currently, the main research areas are Biodiversity, Conservation, Resilience and Cultural Heritage.

Biodiversity

For Biodiversity, research aims to map species variation across space and time, uncover patterns in vulnerable ecosystems and analyse historical collections.

Conservation

For Conservation, ongoing research focuses on developing the germplasm bank; this is complemented by promoting partnerships for Alpine flora protection, ex-situ conservation of microalgae and fungi, and establishing best practice for integrative conservation genomics.

Cultural heritage

For Cultural Heritage, the wealth of information and stories 'hidden' within the Botanical Garden is extraordinary. This makes it essential to reconstruct the genesis and evolution of the collections, exploring their content and information through significant digitisation projects. Research aims to understand and enhance the historical collections of the Botanical Museum of Padua and the work of past figures such as Pier Andrea Saccardo, Achille Forti and Alessandro Trotter, alongside the history of the Garden and its collections, fostering interdisciplinary research between history and science.

Resilience

For Resilience, current research aims to innovate studies on plant functional traits, their defences against pathogens and invasive species.