COLBICS Partners

Biobest NV is a pioneer and leading authority in pollination and biological pest control. With more than 25 years of experience, Biobest is known to be a pioneer in this sector. Biobest produces and commercializes more than 30 kinds of beneficial insects and mites, which are used for biological crop protection. The company acts worldwide, with seven production facilities in five continents, selling to more than 55 countries; Biobest aims to be at the forefront of innovation and research in sustainable crop production developing new pollination & biological control solutions to meet the increasing demand for sufficient, safe and healthy food.

UPV is a Spanish technological university dedicated to researching and teaching. The group involved in Colbics aims to improve the use of biological control for pest management in Mediterranean crops such as citrus and table grapes. The group is located at the Mediterranean Agroforestal Institute (IAM).  IAM is a market-oriented research- and educational institute in the field of plant protection, cropping systems of fruits, vegetables and ornamentals, and ecology in the Mediterranean zone. The institute, belonging to the Polytechnic University of Valencia, offers the industry, public institutions and students an integrated package of market-oriented services, such as applied R&D, courses for students and professionals, project coaching, and consulting.

INRA aims to address some of the challenges offered for agricultural research in the field of ecological management of agroecosystems. Situated at the interface of Environment and Agriculture, the main research topics concern the study of plant-interactions, pathogens and symbionts and their dynamics in time and space. For this, the Institute brings together strong expertise in comparative, evolutionary and functional genomics, in community ecology and agronomy. The ultimate goal is to integrate this knowledge in the development of innovative agronomic strategies (integrated pest management, biological control), more environmentally friendly and human health.

InVivo is the Union of the French Agricultural Cooperatives, gathering over 60% of the farm supply market in France. Beside this and in order to help the evolution of the cropping systems in France and in Western Europe, InVivo has structured its added value services into its subsidiary InVivo AgroSolutions (IAS). One of the missions of IAS is the R&D of innovative Biological control agents, e.g. macro organisms, microorganisms and semiochemical compounds.

UC has been ranked among the top five universities in Latin America. The UC team involved in Colbics investigates the ecology of crop pests and biological control agents to develop sustainable crop protection strategies.

Anasac-Xilema is the main biological control company in Chile. The aim of the company is to develop the use of biological control in Chile, notably through the development of control strategy packages allowing the reduction of pesticide residues in exported fruits.