13 Feb 2025

FORSAID enters partnership with the NextGenBioPest project

With the FORSAID project underway, its sights are now set on expanding and enhancing the stakeholder network on pest science across Europe. The first steps on the road to that goal have already been taken as a collaboration was established with NextGenBioPest, a fellow Horizon Europe project with a research focus similar to FORSAID’s own.

NextGenBioPest represents a 4-year endeavour to introduce a new standard in pest management via the development of innovative biopesticides in agriculture. In a comparable vein to FORSAID, it places plant health front and centre as it pursues the conception and deployment of novel and progressive technological and scientific solutions. All of this speaks to the two projects’ shared background - the urgent need to address the proliferation of plant-based pests and pathogens across European biomes. 

Below are the main points of convergence between FORSAID and NextGenBioPest that their future synergies will be underpinned by:

  • the development of innovative technologies such as remote sensing, DNA barcoding, and AI modeling for pest detection and monitoring;

  • the promotion of stakeholder engagement across the agriforestry sectors, ensuring the long-term utilisation and impact of their respective research outcomes;

  • the integration of socioeconomic insights to assess the feasibility and scalability of new pest control methods;

  • the introduction of a common pest control toolkit applicable across European forests and farmland;

  • the facilitation of wider knowledge transfer across scientific and decision-making networks to halt the spread of harmful species.

As the research outputs of the projects mature in scope and sophistication, they will both have increasing opportunities to promote each other’s activities and achievements. Furthermore, such a continuous partnership will optimise their respective efforts to engage stakeholders and encourage wider support for innovation. Ultimately, the synergy between FORSAID and NextGenBioPest will contribute towards a broader goal of great significance - the adoption of a unified framework for pest control that serves Europe’s agricultural and forestry sectors alike.

Stay tuned for future collaboration opportunities between FORSAID and NextGenBioPest.