Research projects

The projects funded by the Euphresco network generally focus on regulated or emerging pests. Applied topics with a good chance of delivering tangible outputs are preferred, but strategic topics are not excluded.
Euphresco seeks transnational interest:
- meeting the challenge of growing global trade
- pooling research budgets to provide for financial ‘critical mass’
- combining international expertise which is necessary for success
- meeting the challenge of eroding expertise on phytosanitary topics

In 2017, Euphresco members have published the 2017-2022 Strategic Research Agenda to identify plant health research priorities to be addressed over the medium term through national and transnational efforts. The activities of Euphresco members will be synchronised with other research agendas so that:
- topics are complementary and do not overlap with topics proposed by other funding mechanisms
- topics are in line with research priorities of national and international policy makers
- topics support poly making on a given pest

The main objectives of topics selected in the past are:

1. to improve knowledge on the biology, epidemiology and ecology of priority invasive and (re)emerging pests and to support taxonomic research for the unambiguous identification of pests
2. to develop models to summarise the understanding of the spread, establishment and impact of pests
3. to explore the use of remote sensing technologies to support surveillance and detection activities
4. to develop and validate high-throughput DNA extraction methods
5. to test and validate the use NGS (e.g. whole genome sequencing, metagenomics, deep sequencing, typing by sequencing) for routine diagnostics
6. to test and validate methods for in situ detection and identification of pests
7. to validate cost-effective and socially acceptable phytosanitary measures for consignments
8. to support knowledge exchange for efficient management and maintenance of collections
9. to support data exchange, data use and re-use for the benefit of plant health research activities
10. to address plant health challenges through integrative approaches, multi-actor approaches and support collaboration among disciplines