NextGenBioPest at "Cutting-Edge Science in Practice"!
On February 25th, 2026, our partner Preagon Biotech was featured among the successful technology transfer projects of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) at the event "Cutting-Edge Science in Practice" (Špičková věda v praxi), held in Prague, Czechia. The company presented its story under the title "Preagon Biotech: from modern drug discovery to environmentally friendly insecticides" to about 50 participants from research, industry and innovation.
From Drug Discovery to Crop Protection
Preagon Biotech's journey illustrates how knowledge and methods developed in one field can open up opportunities in another. The company's presentation traced the path from modern drug discovery approaches to the development of environmentally friendly insecticides, showing how advanced screening and molecular techniques originally associated with pharmaceutical research can be applied to the search for selective, low-risk crop protection solutions.
This cross-over is a good example of the innovation NextGenBioPest aims to encourage: bringing together expertise from different disciplines to develop eco-friendly tools that can reduce Europe's dependence on conventional synthetic pesticides.
Why Technology Transfer Matters
Excellent research does not automatically become a product. Between a promising discovery and a solution available to farmers lies the process of technology transfer: protecting intellectual property, building a company, attracting partners and meeting regulatory and market requirements. Events such as "Cutting-Edge Science in Practice" highlight projects that have successfully made this journey and help others in the research community see how it can be done.
By being featured among the successful technology transfer projects of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Preagon Biotech's work received recognition from one of the country's leading research institutions. The visibility also helped raise awareness of the role that research-based start-ups can play in the transition to sustainable agriculture.
Connecting Research, Industry and Innovation
The audience of about 50 participants brought together people from research, industry and the wider innovation ecosystem, a combination that is essential for moving new technologies towards the market. Conversations at events like this can lead to new collaborations, new users and new opportunities to scale up green chemistry solutions for pest management.
For NextGenBioPest, this kind of exposure for a consortium partner supports one of the project's core ambitions: making sure that its research outcomes do not remain on the laboratory bench, but find their way into practice.
