WINTER 2023
We leave behind us the year 2022. A year that was dominated by Corona in the first half a year. We then saw a gradually decline of all kind of measures and on-site meetings were organised the more and the more. We are back to busy life as usual now and we may look forward to a new year full of opportunities. Opportunities that may be provided by, for example, the Horizon Europe programme, as you will read in this Newsletter. In addition, we will look back to the business of Driehoek Research Support in 2022 and its’ outlook on 2023.
Sustainable Agriculture
The European Commission strives at substitutions of 77 active compounds of common, synthetic, pesticides. These are considered as having a high risk with respect to human health and the environment. In addition, the European Commission aims at a transition of the current high-input agriculture into a sustainable one characterised by a relatively high bio-diversity.
The ambition of the European Commission is limited in the availability of substitutions of the 77 target compounds. Substitutions that may encompass low-risk pesticidal compounds or other methods of sustainable crop protection, like biocontrol. The Commission has announced calls in the research and innovation programme ‘Horizon Europe’, which are aimed at accelerating the development and implementation of substitutions. Substitutions that need to be sustainable from a point of view of, food security, human health, environment, well-being of farmers, and economics. The requirements set for the substitutions are more demanding than those set for the common, synthetic, pesticides in the past.
Driehoek Research Support is currently involved in the preparation of a proposal upon a call for substitutions. We are actually the driver of the proposal on behalf of the coordinator. The proposal needs, first of all, fit neatly the expected outcomes of the specific call. Secondly, a robust and multidisciplinary consortium has to be built. A consortium that needs to be really a team, which is able to execute an ambitious, international, project. The proposal should also fit existing projects and initiatives in Europe addressing substitutions and reductions in use of pesticides. Last, but not least, a strong involvement, say participation, of stakeholders is required. Stakeholders, like farmers and biocontrol producers. Preparation of a competitive proposal upon a Horizon Europe call is top sport.
Annual report 2022
The activities of Driehoek Research Support were especially directed to two relatively large jobs of managing organisations and trail blazing. A large, not-for-profit, job was writing a textbook on epidemiology of infectious diseases. A major task without financial benefits that we need to manage, as a relatively small company, in 2023 still. We, therefore, look forward to the new year with a bit of mixed feelings. You may read about all of this in the annual report of 2022 and outlook on 2023. It is available upon request. The report is in Dutch.
Do you like to have a maximum of return of your research money? Does your research belong to the Life Sciences? Just contact us for more information, on paper, by way of a presentation, or an exploring chat.
