Parma, 11 June 2026 – Every year, plant pests destroy up to 40% of global agricultural crops and threaten to devastate forest ecosystems. Yet Europe still lacks the tools needed to coordinate an effective and systemic response. A major new EU Horizon project, worth €6 million, aims to change this situation.
The University of Parma is among the partners of PhytoPRISM, a project led by the University of Warwick that brings together 15 research institutions and stakeholders from several countries to create the first platform capable of coordinating Europe’s response to devastating pest invasions in agriculture and forestry. For the first time, the project will provide plant health authorities with the ability to model and optimize pest control strategies across the entire agri-food value chain, from preventing pest entry to long-term management.
PhytoPRISM, which will officially begin on 1 September 2026, will provide tools for science-based risk management through a systemic approach that encompasses the entire food supply chain.
The platform will be developed in collaboration with plant health authorities, agricultural producers, forestry operators, and consultants. Six major European case studies involving quarantine pests will validate the platform, and the results will be applicable to more than sixty closely related European quarantine pests. Training tools, e-learning resources, and emergency planning systems will further strengthen preparedness across Europe.
By reducing dependence on synthetic pesticides, improving cost-effectiveness throughout the value chain, and enabling smarter responses to pest dynamics driven by climate change, the project will contribute to more resilient and sustainable food and forestry systems across Europe.
The University of Parma’s role is primarily linked to Work Package 10, “Platform Development.” The University’s research team will be responsible for developing an advanced web platform for storing crop pest models and supporting the analysis and design of preventive responses to potential crop diseases. The platform will be open source, interoperable with existing platforms, and equipped with advanced search systems and artificial intelligence-based forecasting methods.
The project consortium partners are: University of Warwick (UK), University of Cambridge (UK), Wageningen University (Netherlands), Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement – INRAE (France), Rothamsted Research (UK), Forest Research (UK), ADAS (UK), Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias – IVIA (Spain), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Italy), University of Parma (Italy), Prospex Institute (Belgium), European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization – EPPO (France), Assemblée des Régions Européennes Fruitières, Légumières et Horticoles – AREFLH (France), Ceratium (Netherlands), and the French Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (France, Associated Partner).
