Work Package 4, led by GLB, is dedicated to the development, evaluation, and optimization of innovative RNA-based pesticide formulations. This work aims to create effective and sustainable solutions for crop protection by leveraging the latest advancements in RNA technology.

Work Package 8, led by SUA, focuses on evaluating the socio-economic and environmental impacts of adopting the innovative solutions developed in previous work packages. This includes analyzing data from IPM demonstrations in WP7, comparing legislative frameworks and approval processes in the EU and other regions, assessing farmers' willingness to adopt new approaches, examining changes in food supply chains, and understanding consumer perceptions of novel crop protection methods.

Work Package 6, led by IVIA, focuses on designing ecological infrastructures to enhance the effectiveness of biological control agents across various crops. This includes optimizing strategies for citrus, using companion plants and nitrogen to control aphids in apples, managing ecological setups to mitigate aggressive ants in fruit trees, and improving the establishment of biological control in vegetables.

Work Package 7, led by ELGO, aims to integrate the innovations from WP2-6 into data-driven frameworks for sustainable Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The focus is on creating site- and species-specific pest management strategies by combining existing and new tools, establishing demonstration farms to showcase best practices that reduce chemical pesticide use, and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, training, and support for farmers.

Work Package 1, led by FORTH, focuses on overseeing all aspects of the project to ensure smooth and effective operation. This includes efficient administration, strategic decision-making, and the successful implementation of activities, all while maintaining full compliance with the goals and requirements set by the European Commission.

Work Package 9, led by SAH, focuses on establishing strong communication channels with the community and relevant stakeholders to effectively disseminate the knowledge generated by NextGenBioPest. The aim is to facilitate the commercial exploitation of developed tools, products, and services and to encourage their adoption by end-users.

Work Package 2, under the leadership of FORTH, is dedicated to developing cutting-edge tools for plant pathogen detection and pest management. This includes the creation of ready-to-use lyopellets (“pills”) for efficient pest incrimination, a novel qcLAMP-based portable point-of-care (POC) device controlled via smartphone for rapid pathogen detection, and a smartphone application utilizing automatic image analysis for accurate pathogen identification.

Work Package 5, led by UGENT, focuses on developing and validating innovative plant resistance-inducing compounds, environmentally friendly chemical crop protection products, and highly selective juvenoids as alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides. This involves assessing their efficacy and activity spectrum, evaluating potential phytotoxicity and safety for non-target organisms, investigating the risk of resistance development, and demonstrating their effectiveness in real-world field conditions.

Work Package 3, led by BIOBEST, focuses on the development of new, commercially viable species of natural enemies to manage invasive and hard-to-control pests affecting economically important vegetable and fruit crops. This includes creating strategies that involve resource supplementation to enhance the effectiveness of preventative releases of these natural enemies in the field, alongside developing associated commercial products and services.