Currently more than 90% of applied conventional crop protection products are either lost in the environment or unable to reach the target. Therefore, more treatment cycles are used and result in detrimental effects on soil, air, waterbodies, and can affect beneficial insects such as bees and ladybugs and enter the food chain, damaging wildlife (i.e., birds, hedgehogs, wood-mice, beetles, butterflies, and amphibians). 

On the other hand, current product application strategies imply direct manipulation of the compounds by operators making it a manual and time-consuming process with the risks associated with operators’ exposure. 

Thus, current practices contribute to soil, water, and air pollution, increase biodiversity loss and soil degradation, reduce crop resilience to extreme climate, and represent a risk for human health due to product exposure. Furthermore, several of the newly developed biocontrol strategies required of a direct application into the plant (i.e. endotherapy) making it a highly manual and demanding process that needs to be improved with innovative technologies to increase its efficiency.

Therefore, current plant protection strategies need to be revised and enhanced to attain the sustainability objectives that EU Commission has established for 2030. Aware of the rapid and profound changes in agriculture, the Spanish company is committed to achieve sustainable and competitive agriculture. As part of this commitment, the company is looking for novel promising technologies aiming to revolutionize the current available strategies for product application in agriculture. The desired technologies (as a matter of example but not limited to those) include machine-free application systems, nanorobot technologies, or technologies that guarantee product systemicity without the need for endotherapy, among others.

The company is looking for start-ups, research centres or technological centres with proprietary and innovative technologies with pilot testing data showing its value in the specific context of the challenge. The type of collaboration between a challenge owner and a technology provider would depend on the type of the technology, the matureness of its development and the specific target market. Among the different options these could be to engage in joint development, combining resources and expertise to further develop the solution to a market-ready stage, or establish a licensing agreement where the challenge owner gains rights to use the technology. Pilot projects may be conducted to test the solution before full-scale implementation. 

Alternatively, an equity partnership could be formed, allowing the challenge owner to invest in the technology provider. Another option is R&D collaboration, where both parties share research costs and data. They may also opt for a supply agreement, with the challenge owner committing to use or purchase the technology, or a consultancy arrangement where expertise is exchanged to refine the solution. These collaboration models can be adapted to the specific needs and goals of both sides.

The company is looking for start ups and research centres that can contribute to novel promising technologies aiming to revolutionize the current available strategies for product application in agriculture. The desired technologies (as a matter of example but not limited to those) include machine-free application systems, nanorobot technologies, or technologies that guarantee product systemicity without the need for endotherapy, among others.