Ghent University is located in Belgium. The university offers high-quality, research-based education in a wide range of academic disciplines and occupies the 93rd position in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking. The University has participated in more than 200 research projects in the EU’s FP6 (2002-2006) and over 200 in the FP7. By the end of 2011 the licensing portfolio contained 296 active licensing families of which Ghent University is owner or co-owner. The university is one of the fastest growing European universities in terms of research capacity and productivity, and its commitment to European research excellence is reflected by the recent opening of an ‘European Office’ in its Research Office, i.e. the department overseeing, steering and administering research policies. At the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering of the Ghent University, the Department of Crop Protection is a comprehensive research group that has 90 staff. It is one of the world’s leading research groups dedicated to fundamental and applied research on pest and beneficial insects: natural enemies, pest control and plant pathology in vegetables, and plant protection chemistry focusing on e.g. new formulation development. Research is multidisciplinary and supported by national and international funding as EU (e.g. EFSA). The work of the department is based on the scientific foundations of biology and natural sciences and is topical and multidisciplinary in accordance with the demands of societal relevance. Particular interest goes to the integration of novel and sustainable crop protection strategies. The department is highly recognised in the field, both at national and international levels. On average 25 projects are running at the department, of which 2/3 national projects and 1/3 international projects (mostly European) with an average duration of 2-4 years.

Prof. Guy Smagghe is the head of the Agrozoology laboratory, which has a long tradition of >20 years in fundamental basic and applied research in insects, particularly using different pest insects as caterpillars, beetles and aphids, and also beneficial insects as natural enemies and pollinators.

In the lab they investigate the toxicology and mode of action of new insecticidal compounds and tactics in pest control, and their ambitions focus to sustainability and innovations in crop protection within our modern agriculture. They have ample expertise with setting up and developing different insect (eco)toxicity tests, cell and protein receptor/enzyme assays, RNAi assays and molecular biology/bioinformatic analyses, and also entomovectoring relevant for this project.

Prof. Smagghe will co-lead in WP2 of EUCLID project and be participant in other WPs.