Biocontrol 4.0: a portfolio of Franco-Belgian projects to develop organic alternatives to pesticides

Building on previous results achieved in the Pathoflax project and the Smartbiocontrol project portfolio, including 10 new biofungicide solutions, the Interreg Biocontrol 4.0 project portfolio brings together 43 partners from northern and eastern France, Flanders and Wallonia, with the main aim of developing new biofungicide and bioinsecticide biostimulants and exploiting the potential of digital technology to optimize the use of these products. The portfolio is coordinated by Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech/Université de Liège (Pr. Philippe Jacques).

The project portfolio comprises 6 constituent projects:

• the Trans-Lipo project , coordinated by the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, aims to develop new biostimulants and biofungicides based on molecules of microbial origin,
• the Trans-Pest project aims to develop new approaches to controlling crop pests. It is coordinated by the University of Mons,
• the Trans-e-Bio project, coordinated by Multitel, a research and technological innovation center, aims to develop new digital tools to optimize the use of biofungicides and bioinsecticides developed in the first two projects.

All these projects address problems encountered in the main crops grown in the cross-border region, such as wheat, potatoes, tomatoes, leeks, apples, etc., but also flax through the Trans-Pathoflax 2.0 project, which is managed by the INAGRO research center.

These 4 projects began on July 1, 2024, and were presented to the press and general public on Thursday morning, December 5.

Two other projects, the Trans-Control project, coordinated by Viaverda, which is responsible for demonstrating the effectiveness of products developed in the greenhouse and in the field, and the Trans-Training project run by the University of Lille, which will offer training adapted to these new technologies, will begin in 2025.

By combining digital tools and innovative biocontrol products, the Biocontrol 4.0 portfolio aims to provide robust, sustainable solutions to significantly reduce the use of synthetic pesticides in a context of growing climate change.

This portfolio has a budget of over 14 million euros.

General contact : biocontrol4.0@uliege.be

Contacts by project:
- Trans-Lipo: ea.barka@univ-reims.fr
- Trans-e-Bio: parfait@multitel.be
- Trans-Pest: Kevin.TOUGERON@umons.ac.be
- Trans-Pathoflax 2.0: lies.willaert@inagro.be

www.gembloux.uliege.be