Fruit Flies: Challenges and Opportunities to Stem the Tide of Global Invasions

Two main subjects have been at the center of my research throughout my scientific carrier: The spatio-temporal dynamics of tephritid fruit flies and its applications into pest control, and the nutritional physiology of fruit flies aimed for the Sterile Insect Technique. These two broad areas have been the framework of my research on Tephritidae, especially in the exploration of spatial and temporal patterns of the medfly, the Ethiopian fruit fly and the olive fly, and the nutritional physiology of developing larvae and adults of the above species, and the Mexican fruit fly. My interest regarding spatial and temporal patterns center around the exploration of the factors and mechanism determining patterns, and the application of these knowledge in the “precision targeting” of flies in space and time. Recently my group at ARO (Israel) focused also on the development of electronic monitoring traps to be applied in the control of fruit flies in precision agriculture projects against these pests. In addition, I have explored alternative methods of control against fruit flies such as the Sterile Insect Technique and mass-trapping.

Dr Nikos T. Papadopoulos, PhD, Professor of Applied Entomology, leads the laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology at the University of Thessaly (director since 2006). He obtained his PhD in 1999 (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), did postdoctoral work (2001-2003) at the University of California Davis, and joined the University of Thessaly in 2004. Papadopoulos’ lab is active in the field of life-history evolution, insect ecology, behaviour and management with special emphasis on fruit flies of the family Tephritidae. A substantial part of his recent research regards the management of fruit flies, using environmental friendly tactics such as the Sterile Insect release.

Over the last few years he became interested in precision pest management and his group is intensively working on this field of research. The invasion biology of fruit flies and those factors that regulate them is also in the core interest of his lab. Nikos Papadopoulos has published more than 100 papers in high impact international peer-reviewed scientific journals (e.g. Aging Cell, PLoS ONE, Proceedings of the Royal Society London, Mechanisms of Aging and Development, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Scientific Reports, Journal of Insect Physiology etc.) and his papers have received more than 2300 citations an H-index=24, i10 index= 74. He has communicated more than 150 papers in national and international workshop and conferences. He has been coordinating and/or participating in more than 40 National, and International research projects funded among others by the National Institute on Aging (USA), and the FAO/IAEA, ENPI MED, LIFE. He served as the Chair of the scientific group TEAM (Tephritid workers of Europe, Africa and the Middle East) (2004 – 2012), member of the steering committee of TEAM (2004 – 2014), member of the International Fruit Fly of Economic Importance, Steering Committee (2012 – 2014).

Prof. Papadopoulos is a member of the Council of International  Organization of Biological Control (IOBC-WPRS) since 2013. He was/is the supervisor of 7 PhD theses and 10 MSc theses. He is member of the Editorial Board of Entomologia Hellenica, associate editor of Plos One, associate editor of Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, and associate editor of the journal “Current Research Journal of Biological Sciences”, Guest Editor of the Journal of Applied Entomology and Psyche, and acts as a regular reviewer for more than 40 international peer-reviewed journals. He has been a reviewer of National and International research proposals (USDA, COST actions, ERA-Net, Bard, etc.). Nikos Papadopoulos has served in many committees for the promotion of research and academic staff in several national and international institutes (the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Agricultural University of Athens, Democritus University of Thrace, Macquarie University Australia, University of California Davis, South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF). He is a Member of 4 national and International Scientific Associations and member of the organizing and scientific committee of more than 5 international conferences, symposia and workshops. He acts as an expert consultant in international organizations such as Joint Division of FAO/IAEA (Food and Agriculture Organization and International Atomic Energy Agency) and NICCOD.

WP3 Lead, Project Technical Manager

Marc De Meyer is an entomologist at the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA, Tervuren, Belgium). He has a PhD in zoology. He joined the RMCA in 1998, after working in Africa for 10 years. He is head of the invertebrates unit, acting head of the department of African Biology, and member of the directive and scientific committees at the RMCA. He is also the RMCA co-ordinator of the Join Experimental Molecular Unit (JEMU) and the BopCo (Barcoding Facility of tissues and organisms of policy concern) unit.

His field of expertise is taxonomy, systematics and phylogeny of Diptera with emphasis on particular African groups including tephritid fruit flies. He published more than 250 articles and book chapters on different aspects of Diptera. In recent years he has coordinated and participated in national and international research programmes on fruit flies in Europe and Africa. He is currently the chairman of the TEAM (tephritid workers of Europe, African and the Middle East) steering committee, member of the scientific committee of the CORAF/WECARD support project of the regional plan for control and monitoring of fruit flies in West Africa (SPRMF) and member of the technical advisory committee of the Integrated Biological Control Applied Research Programme (EU IBCARP).

He has acted as organizer or convener of international conferences and sessions on fruit flies and Diptera. He is subject editor for Journal of Insect Science, ZooKeys and member of the editorial panel of the Manual of Afrotropical Diptera. He was recently editor-in-chief on a special issue on the resolution of cryptic species complexes in Tephritidae and co-editor of the book ‘Fruit Fly Research and Development in Africa – Towards a Sustainable Management Strategy to Improve Horticulture. He acts as an expert consultant for the Joint Division of FAO/IAEA (Food and Agriculture Organization and International Atomic Energy Agency.

He is the Technical Manager of the FF-IPM project, as well as Work Package leader for tasks related to the development and enhancement of tools and methods for fruit fly prevention (WP3).

The University of California, Davis is a public research university and land-grant university as well as one of the 10 campuses of the University of California (UC) system. It is located in Davis, California, just west of Sacramento, and has the third-largest enrollment in the UC System after UCLA and UC Berkeley. The university has been labelled one of the “Public Ivies,” a publicly funded university considered to provide a quality of education comparable to those of the Ivy League. The UC Davis faculty includes 23 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 25 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 17 members of the American Law Institute, 14 members of the Institute of Medicine, and 14 members of the National Academy of Engineering. The university has expanded over the past century to include graduate and professional programs (e.g. medicine, law, veterinary medicine, education), in addition to 90 research programs offered by UC Davis Graduate Studies.

The Department of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, is world-renowned for its quality research, education and public service. Globally, it is ranked No. 7 by The Times Higher Educational World University Rankings for its teaching, research, international outlook and industry outcome. Its facilities include the Bohart Museum of Entomology, Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, and its mosquito research program based at UC Davis and the Kearney Agricultural Research and Center in Parlier. Faculty are globally recognized for their expertise in insect demography, systematics and evolutionary biology of ants, pollination and community ecology, integrated pest management, insect biochemistry, molecular biology, and the systematics and evolutionary biology of nematodes. The graduate program offers masters and doctoral degrees. The teaching and research faculty includes some 40 professional entomologists and nematologists.

China Agricultural University (CAU) was founded in 1949 with the former name “Beijing Agricultural University”, and traced to 1905 as the first establishment of agriculture higher education in China. CAU is one of the top-ranked key national universities in China. It is one of the universities listed in 211, 985 and Double First-Class Projects and directly subordinated to the Ministry of Education of P. R. China. CAU has 3 campuses, including the East Campus, West Campus and Jianshe Campus. Students have free choices to enrol in more than 60 Undergraduate Specialties, around 140 Masters Programs and more than 80 Doctoral Programs if qualified. The trend of student population continues to rise with more than 70,000 students in total currently enrolled. CAU is authorized to award academic degrees at BSc, MSc and PhD. The Undergraduate Program is organized within one of the 13 colleges, and Masters and Doctoral Programs are conducted under the direction of the Graduate School, which is the first graduate school of this kind among all agricultural universities in China. CAU considers international exchange and cooperation to be a significant component of its mission. CAU has well-established collaborations via 296 counter-signed Memorandum of Understanding or Agreements with 178 universities from 35 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, & Oceania. In addition, cooperation with UN specialized organizations and international institutions have been developed. A worldwide network for academic exchange & collaboration is under cultivation.

The College of Plant Protection (CPP) was founded in 1949, the former name as Department of Plant Protection. The discipline of plant protection in CAU has been ranked as No. 1 in China all the time. CPP has 108 faculties (including 54 professors and 46 associate professors), 1533 students (including 794 undergraduates, 412 Master Degree students, 327 PhD students). CPP has 15 directions for research and education, including Plant Quarantine and Invasion Biology.

The Plant Quarantine and Invasion Biology Laboratory of CAU (CAUPQL) is traceable from the specialization of plant quarantine at the end of the 1980s in CPP. It has been re-established and developed from 2001 with the missions of (1) Educating the students with advanced theory, method and technology of plant quarantine and invasion biology; (2) Researching the PRA, species identification, invasion origin and mechanism of the regulated pests; (3) Providing the phytosanitary techniques & decision supports to related organizations and the knowledge popularization to public. CAUPQL pays more attention to the scientific and technical issues of alien pest prevention. Pest Risk Analysis and Early Warning, Species Identification and Phytosanitary Treatment, Invasion Tracing and Invasion Mechanism are the 3 research directions basing on advanced information and molecular techniques. The economically important fruit flies are studied as the model insect pest in CAUPQL. More than 130 papers (including 40 SCI papers), 10 patents and 20 software copyrights are achieved.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is the Federal Government agency for scientific research in Australia. It was established in 1916, and its first investment was to investigate the control options for the Prickly Pear (Opuntia robusta), resulting in what is arguably the world’s most celebrated biological control success story. Cervantes Agritech’s chief role is to improve the economic and social performance of the industry, for the benefit of the community. From its headquarters in Canberra, Cervantes Agritech maintains more than 50 sites across Australia, and biological control research stations in France and Mexico, employing about 5000 staff in total. Cervantes Agritech’s position in the innovation system is at the interface of academia, government and industry. Cervantes Agritech is ranked in the top 10 global organisations in three out of 22 scientific fields for the breadth of scientific output, and in the top 1% of global institutions for 14 scientific discipline fields (based on peer citation rates).In 4 of these fields, it is ranked in the top 0.1%, namely Agricultural Science, Environment & Ecology, Plant & Animal Science, and Geosciences. Cervantes Agritech has a strong collaborative mode of operation, working with leading organizations around the world to derive mutual benefit.

The Health & Biosecurity Business Unit was founded by a merger of the Biosecurity Flagship and much of the Australian Animal Health Laboratory. The Business Unit has strong Research Programs on Risk and Emergency Preparedness(pre-border) and the Management of Invasive Species and Diseases(post-border). Research scientists in these programs collaborate seamlessly with staff from other business units such as Agriculture & Food and Data61 to bring expertise in agricultural and horticultural production, advanced analytics, software engineering and computational methods to bear on interdisciplinary problems. The CLIMEX and DYMEX software products are the results of sustained efforts from the 1980s to generate advanced generic modelling tools that are accessible to biologists and ecologists. The development effort for these software systems is continued through a long-term project spanning these Business Units. In order to ensure that the software enhancements are relevant to the pool of users, Cervantes Agritech is actively engaged in research applications of the software and with groups of users.

Citrus Research International (Pty) Ltd. is a research organisation that primarily conducts research and technical services for citrus growers in southern Africa and is mandated to do so by the Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa (CGA). CRI was registered in South Africa in 2001 as a Proprietary Limited Company. Its research is applicable to small, medium and large-scale citrus producers and exporters. The vision of CRI is to maximise the long-term global competitiveness of southern African citrus growers through the development, support, co-ordination and provision of Research and Technical services by combining the strengths of all CRI partners. The activities of CRI involve training on standards, facilitation of compliance to international best practices in the industry, collaboration with government and other public and private institutions on activities related to citrus, and promotion of trade in the southern African citrus industry. CRI routinely commissions research activities, mainly through consultancy services, on horticultural aspects, and has longstanding cordial relations with public and private organisations in southern Africa and internationally.

Stellenbosch University is a fully accredited classic university in South Africa, with 10 faculties: Arts, Economic and Management Sciences, Education, Science, Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Health Sciences, Military Science, Law, Theology and Engineering. 30 854 students were enrolled in 2016 (33% postgraduates). SU is recognised as one of the top research universities in South Africa with a long history of pure and applied research across a large range of disciplines through partnering with industry and government; locally and internationally. Stellenbosch University has the highest number of total outputs (publications and postgraduate students) per academic staff member of all South African universities; has 38 Research Chairs and7 national Centres of Excellence supported by the South African Department of Science and Technology. Researchers at SU are involved in more than 80 European Union programme projects, and more than 2500 active research contracts.

The Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology was officially merged from two separate Departments in 2006. The Department cooperates closely with Universities and Institutions in South Africa and abroad, by encouraging the exchange of academic staff and students, and by organizing joint meetings and national and international research projects. The Department’s academic curriculum aims at training conservation and agricultural scientists in the science and technology of sustainable production and biodiversity conservation. Some of the education keystones and research activities of the Department are a) sustainability in practice, by using environment-friendly techniques in agriculture, b) advances in food safety and technology, during production and processing, and c) integrated approaches in the preservation of agro-ecosystems and sustainable agricultural production. Thus, the Department’s academic profile covers a broad, unique and important area in biological sciences, relevant to agricultural engineering, agronomy, landscape ecology and management, food safety and public health awareness and agricultural policy.

The Applied Physiological Ecology (APE) Lab covers a broad range of research subjects related with both Entomology and Physiological Ecology ranging from molecular and cell biology to invasion biology, population genetics, evolutionary biology, dispersal ecology and pest management. The APE lab has diverse expertise in these themes, including metabolism and energetics, biophysical modelling, climate change and invasion forecasting integrated into population dynamic models. The APE Lab is involved in both undergraduate and graduate-level teaching in courses mainly at the 3rd and 4th year level in either BSc Conservation Biology or Biodiversity and Ecology in Insect Diversity, Invasion Biology, Principles of Integrated Pest Management, Applied Insect Ecology and Invertebrate Physiology.

Corvus is a small-sized enterprise providing geospatial environmental and telecommunications-related consulting services. The company has consulted large infrastructural programs in Poland including rail and telecom projects. The company also offers an analysis of environmental data and aids with the surveillance decision making. Enterprise members have several years of experience in delivering projects for large clients and working in collaborative projects.

Corvus staff has the experience and expertise necessary to successfully accomplish proposed work, namely ecological niche modelling, pathway risk analysis, transport network analysis and geographic information systems (GIS) and is also experienced in large collaborations.

R&DO Ltd, based in Cyprus, designs and implements communication strategies and activities, produces dissemination material and handles both traditional and digital media. In this respect it has undertaken numerous projects, such as the development of networks, running of campaigns and other community-building initiatives. The company focuses on diverse socio-economic sectors among which environment, agriculture, urban and rural development in terms of mobilizing communities and building up attitudes for quality of life based on knowledge, skills and personal responsibility. The company aims to the continuous development of innovative ideas in the form of products, services and social learning. Having broad experience and knowledge in EU policies and objectives, RNDO is well equipped to support both the planning and development of the foreseen interventions of the proposed project, as well as the development of effective outreach methodologies and tools to reach the desired outcomes and impact of the foreseen activities. RNDO researches, designs, develops and manages integrated ICT solutions, web-based applications, websites and enterprise software systems. The company also specialises in contributing to training, supporting different sectors with a focus on the agriculture and environment industry. Among its major clients are the Benaki Phytopathological Institute in Greece (design and development of website and communication strategy (production of various dissemination videos and promotional material in the frames of the LIFE project “Conops”), MSCOMM S.A. (design and production of online platforms supporting the Global Entrepreneurship Week, culturallia.com), the International Association to Save Tyre/ AIST (design and implementation of network community building and platform development).

ANECOOP was founded in 1975 by a group of co-operatives and is today the biggest export-import company for fresh fruit and vegetables in Spain and one of the biggest fruit- and vegetable marketers in Europe. We have around 70 associated small companies (co-operatives) located in Spain’s main agricultural areas and we market their products in over 50 countries. Our main produce is fresh citrus (around 360.000 tons of fresh citrus commercialised during last year, together with almost 200.000 tons of fresh fruit and 140.000 tones of vegetables). We have over 200 people working in the company.

Together with our commercial activity, we have a Quality Department in charge of impulse and establish the best quality standards in our associates: ISO, BRC, Eurep. We have developed a standard for our own products, Naturane, more restrictive than others like Eurep and BRC regarding the use of pesticides. Our Production and Development Department works towards the introduction of new products and systems for our associated cooperatives (technology transfer of innovative developments). ANECOOP has the mission to carry out research and development in the areas of production, marketing and processing of agricultural produce as well as transfer of the relevant know-how. ANECOOP also owns a nursery to produce young plants for the new products in the Mediterranean area. Initiated in 2009 with the expectation to supply the needs of our partners in Valencia Region, the nursery is now expanding operations rapidly across Spain.

The University of Molise is composed of 6 Departments involved in research and teaching, whose areas are the following: Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences; Department of Economics, Management, Society and Institutions; Department of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences; Department of Biosciences and Territory; Department of Law; Department of Medicine and Health Sciences. Both in research and teaching areas, the University is active in international programs, among which LLP for students, teachers and staff mobility for study and placement (Erasmus) and education. UNIMOL counts 4 University campuses, 9000 students, 105 PhD students and about 600 among teaching and non-teaching staff. The University of Molise, moreover, counts 19 cultural Centers and it is equipped with several laboratories, multimedia and language labs, a rich library, and a Sports Center.

The Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences works through the interaction between several subjects with particular respect to chemistry, economy, microbiology, food technology, physic, biochemistry, botanic, genetics, animal anatomy and physiology, plant production, plant protection, forest management and professional disciplines characterizing the Faculty of Agriculture. At present, it has 51 Academic Members and coordinates important national and international research projects. It is provided with several laboratories equipped with sophisticated instruments. It remarkably helps the didactical activity and offers valuable tutoring to students. It also promotes consulting activities to the benefit of private and public bodies.

The Laboratory of General and Applied Entomologythat belongs to the Department, has 3 Academic members, 1 technician, several post-doc researchers and PhD students, which are activated in crop and fruit protection, forest management, integrated pest management, bio-statistic, post-harvest insect control and food safety, insect communication, Lepidoptera biodiversity. Within the courses of the Department, General and Applied Entomology staff offers at both the undergraduate and graduate level the following courses: General Zoology, Agricultural Entomology, Biological and Integrated Control, Stored Products Protection, Food Protection, Forest Entomology, Forest Zoology.

ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon is a research university with a multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approach, including eight research units that conduct excellent research and continuously run more than 200 scientific projects. Centre for International Studies (CEI), where key staff members participate in this consortium conduct their research, is one of the eight research units conducting high-quality research at ISCTE-IUL. Research is conducted mainly through externally funded projects and researchers are organized in research groups sharing scientific interests and backgrounds.

ISCTE-IUL is a high-quality public university institute ranked among the 150 best young universities in the world (THE Young University Rankings 2017) and one of the most dynamic and innovative in Portugal, mainly in the areas of Management and Economics, Sociology and Public Policy, Social Sciences and Humanities. ISCTE-IUL consistently aims for higher levels of excellence, innovation, internationalization and entrepreneurship. It has established national and international cooperation with a large number of universities and research institutes as well as public, private and third sector organizations. The Institute has a strong link to and impact in science, economy and society. ISCTE-IUL has about 9000 students, half of them in doctoral and master programs, and 430 professors.

ISCTE-IUL has wide experience in EU research projects having been involved, during the last EU research framework programme, as partner/coordinator in over 70 European projects, the majority under FP7. ISCTE-IUL has vast research experience in social sciences and, in particular of project evaluation methods and practice and also of integrating natural and social sciences. The ISCTE team has competences in sociology, agrarian sociology and economics and agronomy.

The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) was constituted in June 2002 by the merger of 18 federal institutes as a national control and research agency for health and food safety in Austria responsible for analysis and risk assessment in agriculture (inclusive Plant Health), food, veterinary medicine and human medicine. AGES is a coordinating and research partner within the programme for Research and Development of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water management (BMLFUW) for 2016-2020 (PFEIL 2020) in the strategic key areas of agriculture, nutrition, rural areas and sustainable plant production and plant health research. PFEIL 2020 aims to support applied research for sustainable, resource preserving and socially acceptable production in compliance with the 5 principles of the 4th SCAR foresight report.

The Institute of Sustainable Plant Production (NPP) with the Department of Plant Health in Fruit Crops, Viticulture and special crops and the Department for Molecular Diagnostics of Plant Diseases is responsible for forecasting, detection, and identification of plant pests with approved and accredited diagnostic standard methods, pest risk assessment studies for phytosanitary pests and the development of biological and integrated plant protection measures for their control.

CIRAD is a public industrial and commercial company (EPIC) under the joint authority of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France. Their staff count is over 1600 including 800 researchers. CIRAD works with the whole range of developing countries to generate and pass on new knowledge, support agricultural development and fuel the debate on the main global issues concerning agriculture. CIRAD is a targeted research organization, and bases its operations on development needs, from field to laboratory and from a local to a global scale. CIRAD’s activities involve the life sciences, social sciences and engineering sciences, applied to agriculture, food and rural territories. CIRAD works hand-in-hand with local people and the local environment, on complex, ever-changing issues: food security, ecological intensification, emerging diseases, the future of agriculture in developing countries, etc. CIRAD is also a major player in talks between Europe and the South. It participates in numerous European and international networks and facilitates access for its partners in the South to EU programs and to the excellence of European research.

The unit PVBMT “Peuplement Végétaux et Bio-agresseurs en milieu Tropical” based in la Réunion

PVBMT is a mixed unit comprising CIRAD, the University of Réunion and a few researchers from INRA. It covers a broad range of research topics related to invasive pests (including plants) and diseases, and beneficial in agro- and natural ecosystems ranging from biodiversity, taxonomy and phylogenetics, biology, ecology, evolutionary biology, ethology, to pest management, biological invasions. As far as educational activities are concerned, our mixed unit is involved in a 2-year Master of Science in Biology Ecology and Evolution at the University of la Réunion.

CIRAD has rich experience in European projects. CIRAD also has expertise specifically related to the proposed workload (target pest species, ecological invasions, IPM tools, early detection tools).

The company e-nema GmbH was founded 1997 as a spin-off of the University of Kiel. Its core business is the production and marketing of entomopathogenic nematodes. Research and development have always been a substantial part of e-nema’s activities and it has since widened the field for nematode application substantially e.g. with the application of nematodes to turf against the garden chafer (Phyllopertha horticola) in 1997, the application of nematodes to control adult stages of the black vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) with an innovative infection station (patented) in 2005 and the application of nematodes to control corn-rootworm larvae (since 2009).

It has collaborated with the Benaki Phytopathological Institute (Athens) in the “Co-Free” project and with Dr Apostolos Kapranas within the “Biocomes” project on the use of nematodes against the large pine weevil (Hylobius abietis). The e-nema GmbH is specialized in the production and application of entomopathogenic nematodes. Their know-how will help to develop suitable formulations and applications for off-season control of Mediterranean fruit flies.

Universitat Jaume I de Castelló (UJI), is the public university in the north of the Autonomous Community of Valencia (Eastern Spain), which was created in 1991 and hosts around 14,000 students. UJI is now among the Top 500 universities in the world, according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2017 (ARWU), conducted by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. UJI position presents a score of excellence in teaching and research quite remarkable taking into account its size and age. UJI has been involved in 38 European research actions, which correspond to 28 projects of the 7FP (between 2007 and 2013), and the remaining 10 to the H2020 Program. Most European recent funding is related to the calls of the European Research Council (ERC; 2 million euro) and the European Joint Doctorate (1.2 million euro).

The Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of UJI’s Higher School of Technology and Experimental Sciences (ESTCE) was founded in 2007. It has 17 senior scientists, 7 postdoctoral researchers, 9 PhD students and 3 technicians. The department is engaged in teaching and research in a wide range of topics mostly in plant sciences/agriculture including crop protection, agricultural entomology, plant pathology, ecology, agronomy, plant eco-physiology, genetics, breeding, and biotechnology, employing conventional and novel research tools. The Department regularly collaborates with other groups at UJI, as well as in other universities and research organisms in Spain and abroad, which increases the interdisciplinary nature of the research topics covered.

The UJI research group on Integrated Pest Management is focused on the study of insect and mite species of agricultural interest and on developing more sustainable and friendly management techniques and programs for the crops where these species occur. Most of the research carried out by this group has focused on citrus and some of its key pests (the two-spotted spider mite, aphids, the medfly, etc.) as well as on other invasive insects (the red palm weevil, the citrus leaf-miner) using biological control as the preferred control method. A wide range of advanced equipment for studies of entomology, ecology and plant physiology is available at the department or on campus (Central Scientific Instrumentation Services). A variety of plant growth facilities including growth chambers, greenhouses, net-houses and experimental fields are available in campus or at nearby facilities of the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA), another public research institute that UJI is associated with.

The University of Split was officially established on 15 June 1974 when the units have already had an effect on their professional, scientific and teaching areas entered its structure. As a predominant scientific and teaching institution in the region, the University of Split has expanded during the course of the past 30 years to include eleven Faculties, one Academy of Arts and four University Departments. There are about 20,000 students enrolled in the University’s undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate programmes. The focus of the research work carried out by the University is on scientific areas with reference to disciplines characterized by natural, cultural, historical, social, economic and other features of the region as a part of the Croatian Adriatic and the Mediterranean region as a whole. This involves the research and protection of art and construction heritage, philology, field crops, oceanography and fishing, Adriatic botany and zoology, island and coastal economy, Adriatic tourism, maritime law, nautical science, naval architecture and a range of other specific disciplines such as chemical engineering, civil engineering, architecture, electrical and mechanical engineering, social sciences, kinesiology, humanities, health sciences, forensics, all of which distinguish the University of Split, not only in Croatia but also beyond its borders.

The University Department for Marine Studies was founded in 1998. The Department buildings are located in the University Campus in the city of Split. The Department for Marine Studies cooperates closely with faculties and departments within Split University same as with Universities and Institutions in Croatia and abroad, by encouraging the exchange of academic staff and students, and by organizing joint meetings and research projects. The Department’s academic curriculum aims at training in the science field of Agronomy. Some of the education keystones and research activities of the Department are a) sustainability in practice, by using environment-friendly techniques, b) food safety and technology, during production and processing, and c) integrated approaches in the preservation of marine and agroecosystems. Thus, the Department’s academic profile covers a broad, unique and important area in biological sciences, relevant to agricultural engineering, agronomy, food safety and public health awareness and agricultural policy.

Faculty of Electrical Engineering Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture was founded in 1960 and offers study programmes in electrical engineering and information technology, computer science, mechanical engineering, naval architecture and industrial engineering, all both at undergraduate and graduate level. The research capabilities of the Faculty have been confirmed through numerous successful competitive and other research and technological projects, number of scientific and professional papers published in peer-review journals, and through the continuous cooperation with internationally recognized research and academic institutions.

Since 2000, PCA Technologies offers innovative solutions for dealing with “odour issues”. Applications are wide range: – Environment: monitoring of urban/industrial emissions that causes annoyance to human perception. Over the years we served a large number of plants (composting, wastewater, solid waste, pharmaceutical, chemical, petrochemical) and productive realities of various nature, helping them to understand the impact caused on the environment. – Public Health: predicting the arising of certain types of cancer cells in human body. – Food sector: checking freshness and other parameters associated with food. – Militaries / CBRNe groups/ Firefighters: first intervention groups of various countries have been provided with our line of instruments designed for detecting dangerous and toxical gases, thus granting safety in case of extreme events such as terrorist attacks or disasters.

For its own activity, PCA Technologies relies on Electronic Noses from Airsense Analytics GmbH, a solid German company with 20 years of experience in the production of “intelligent sensors array” with internationally proven technical features, acclaimed for unique quality, versatility and performances. A strong cooperation has been established between PCA and Airsense over the last 18 years.

OlfoSense is a multi-detector intelligent sensor array that belongs to the latest generation of electronic noses specifically dedicated to the environmental sector. It has been designed to set up large monitoring networks on critical areas, where it’s important to have an alert eye on the pollution affecting the air, having as a goal to assure citizens the best quality of living. OlfoSense sums up the characteristics of a typical electronic nose (featuring Metal Oxide Sensors) with the capability of analytical detectors such as PID and Electrochemical cells, in order to keep under control the concentration of parameters that have a key role when emissions in the air take place: odour, organic and inorganic compounds. PEN3 features n. 10 MOS, each with specific metal-oxide layer and temperature of work within the range 350-500°C. PEN3 allows setting different times of sampling and automatic sequences of measurement, to memorize fingerprints of samples and to treat data with chemometric analysis to create dedicated libraries that will serve as detection tools for various applications. A library of fingerprints is a collection of samples which have known characteristics, and which belong to the same training set; the e-nose can recognize the features of an unknown sample by comparing its fingerprint with the fingerprints belonging to the library, by means of algorithms such as Principal Component Analysis, Pearson, Mahalanobis, DFA.

PCA has long experience in working with the electronic nose in various fields, food & agricultural sectors as well; PCA has long-lasting collaborations with Universities around the world which use the PEN3 Airsense Analytics in their labs and has furnished the instrument to various companies which have incorporated it for daily quality control.

inSilico-IPM is a micro-SME, registered in Poland on 1st April 2016 (NIP: 1231137113, CEIDG). It was established to exploit the emerging R&D opportunities and provide novel solutions to the challenges faced by the European & global perennial horticulture. inSilico-IPM offers innovative ‘virtual farm’ R&D services for development of site-optimised precision IPM and early detection of invasive pests.

The services are based on its proprietary PESTonFARM software for stochastic simulation of on-farm behaviour of large cohorts of individual insect pests operating within spatiotemporally complex landscapes, and assessment of their responses to locally applied IPM. The SME is a spin-off of two ECFP7 projects (GA 2088856 & GA 286093), under which the PESTonFARM software was conceptualised, developed and on-farm validated. From the onset, inSilico-IPM cooperates with JKI (Germany), LTZ (Germany), BOKU (Austria), PC-Fruit (Belgium), UT (Greece), etc.

inSilico-IPM’s specialist competences include: Behaviour & ecology of African and European fruit flies, quantitative insect ethology, on-farm processes & practices in perennial horticulture, IPM development & implementation, software development & stochastic modelling, use of in silico experimentation for IPM development.

The Royal Museum for Central Africa is a Belgian Federal Research Institution and Museum, founded in 1898. It is located at 15km from Brussels. It has about 230 employees including almost 80 researchers in different domains (biology, geology, anthropology, history). It focuses its research activities on Sub- Saharan Africa. The Department of Biology of RMCA is active in a wide variety of national and international projects and is considered a centre of excellence with regard to taxonomic, phylogenetic and evolutionary research on African zoology. Over recent years it has established molecular expertise through a joint facility (JEMU: Joint Experimental Molecular Unit) with the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels, another Belgian Federal Research Institution. JEMU is one of the leading European laboratories in DNA barcoding and is active in a number of national and international networks. In addition, it runs another joint unit with the Royal Belgian Institute: BopCo (Barcoding Facility of tissues and organisms of policy concern) which is the Belgian Federal contribution to the ERIC LifeWatch. It has an extensive network of African partners and collaborators throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.

RMCA has extensive experience in project management, including with African partners. It also has more than 15 years of experience in research specifically on tephritid fruit flies.

The Agricultural Research Organization (ARO) is a governmental research body of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Israel. ARO, employing over 500 scientists and assistants, accounts for over 70% of all agricultural research in Israel. The ARO is located at Bet Dagan (main campus) and two regional research centres. Six institutes covering all areas of agriculture constitute it. ARO scientists have been involved in many international, EU, national and industry-funded projects. The Department of Entomology, Nematology and Chemistry (Institute of Plant Protection) conducts applied and basic research aimed at solving pest and pathogen problems through novel strategies that reduce the use of pesticides. Research in the Department of Sensing, Information and Mechanization Engineering (Institute of Agricultural Engineering) focuses on implementing cutting-edge technologies, with an increasing emphasis on information technologies, sensors, decision-support systems, electronics, optics and control, advanced mechanics and robotics.

ARO expertise in entomology and agricultural engineering are highly relevant to FF-IPM project. The laboratory of fruit flies in the Department of Entomology has ample experience working on the landscape ecology and control of Tephritidae fruit flies. In addition, the laboratories of agricultural sensors for precision agriculture and GIS applications in agriculture and precision agriculture provide the perfect umbrella to develop sensors and management systems for FF-IPM. ARO also has extensive experience in managing international projects, including EU funded projects.

Benaki Phytopathological Institute (BPI) is a non-profit Research Institute, a legal entity of the public sector, supervised by the Hellenic Ministry of Rural Development and Food (MRDF). During its near-80 years of its operation, the Institute has established multidisciplinary expertise and activities in the areas of entomology, plant pathology and weed science in relation to plant health (quarantine organisms) and crop protection as well as pesticides chemistry/toxicology/e-fate as regards effective and safe use of pesticides for human health and the environment. BPI conducts fundamental/applied research in the aforementioned fields and participates in several EU funded, Bilateral and National research projects.

The Institute’s core activities are to diagnose problems in agriculture, acquire knowledge and provide diagnostic services, information, training and technical consultancy to MRDF, agronomists, farmers and stakeholders for the prevention and control of plant diseases/pests in alignment with the key EU Directives on plant health and sustainable agriculture. BPI has the unique advantage of employing scientists in the widest variety of specialisations. Its staff participates in expert groups of European Union and International Organisations and National Mandated Bodies on topics relevant to plant health, crop protection and safety. The Institute has state-of-the-art, ISO/EN-17025 certified laboratories with modern infrastructure and equipment, and greenhouse facilities including a P2/3 Containment Greenhouse. Furthermore, BPI is the designated National Authority for the coordination of Surveys on plant health and phytosanitary control. It is authorized to conduct the evaluation of plant protection products and biocides (and active substances) for registration purposes and to participate in the pesticide residue monitoring program in water and in agricultural products.

BPI has rich experience in European and National projects on issues of plant protections, quarantine species and invasion biology. BPI has strong connections with national and international stakeholders in the field of Plant Health.

The University of Thessaly was founded about 30 years ago. It is located in the area of central Greece with campuses in the cities of Volos, Larissa, Trikala, Karditsa and Lamia and demonstrates a remarkable academic performance in university rankings. Most of its Faculties, as well as the University as a whole, have been positively evaluated by international visiting committees, based on the considerable research and scientific performance of the academic staff and the high-quality teaching programmes. The University of Thessaly is steadily attracting high-quality professors and personnel from Greece and abroad and continuously upgrading its services to industry, central and local government and society. Our growing number of graduates successfully entering the labour market vividly advertises the high quality of studies offered by our University. The Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment was founded in 1984. The first 30 students were registered in the academic year 1988-1989. The Department buildings are located at Fytoko, Nea Ionia, Volos. The Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment cooperates closely with Universities and Institutions in Greece and abroad, by encouraging the exchange of academic staff and students, and by organizing joint meetings and research projects. The Department’s academic curriculum aims at training agronomists and agricultural scientists in the science and technology of plant production and rural environment. Some of the education keystones and research activities of the Department are a) sustainability in practice, by using environment-friendly techniques in plant production, b) advances in food safety and technology, during production and processing, and c) integrated approaches in the preservation of agro-ecosystems and sustainable agricultural production. Thus, the Department’s academic profile covers a broad, unique and important area in biological sciences, relevant to agricultural engineering, agronomy, landscape ecology and management, food safety and public health awareness and agricultural policy. The laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology covers a broad range of research subjects related to both Entomology and Agricultural Zoology ranging from taxonomy and phylogenetics, biology, ecology, ethology, to pest management and insect biodiversity. The subjects of Apiculture and Sericulture is also within the research interests of our laboratory. As far as educational activities are concerned, the Laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology offers at both the undergraduate and graduate-level the following courses: General Entomology, Applied Entomology, Agricultural Zoology, Apiculture and Sericulture, Protection of Stored Products, Insect Ecology, Insect Pest Management – Integrated Pest Management, and Insect Physiology and Insecticides Toxicology.