INSTITUTE OF PLANT PROTECTION CHINESE ACADEMY OF AGRICULTURE SCIENCES

Their core work

IPP CAAS is China's flagship public research institute for plant protection science, based in Beijing and operating under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Their researchers work on integrated pest management (IPM), mycotoxin contamination in cereals (maize, wheat, barley), plant virus diagnostics, and the production of disease-free propagative material for fruit trees and grapevine. In EU consortia, they serve as the Chinese scientific anchor — bringing field sites, pathogen collections, local crop data, and access to China's agricultural research network into joint EU-China food safety and crop protection projects.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Across a short H2020 window (projects starting 2015-2017), their focus moved from broad integrated pest management in EUCLID toward more specific contamination and pathogen problems — mycotoxins in cereal value chains (MycoKey) and viral diseases in fruit and grapevine propagation (VirFree). The trajectory shows a shift from field-level crop protection demonstration toward laboratory-grade diagnostics and risk management tools. With only three projects, the trend is indicative rather than conclusive.

They are moving from general IPM demonstration toward specialised diagnostics and contamination control — useful for partners building food safety, seed certification, or plant health monitoring consortia.

How they like to work

They join EU consortia as a participant or third party, never as coordinator, which is typical for non-EU institutions under H2020 rules. The projects they joined were large, diverse consortia — 64 unique partners across 19 countries — meaning they work comfortably inside big multi-country teams rather than tight bilateral groups. Partners can expect a well-resourced Chinese field and laboratory counterpart, but should plan the coordination and administrative load on the EU side.

Across three H2020 projects they linked with 64 unique partners in 19 countries, giving them one of the broader EU-China agricultural networks. Their reach is mainly European (MycoKey, VirFree) plus targeted EU-China bridge projects (EUCLID).

What sets them apart

They are one of the few Chinese research institutes with repeated, substantive participation in H2020 food safety and plant health projects, making them a ready-made entry point for EU consortia that need Chinese field sites, pest and pathogen collections, or regulatory insight into the Chinese agricultural system. Unlike a European partner, they can provide access to climate zones, crop varieties and pest pressures that simply do not exist inside the EU. For anyone building a Horizon Europe proposal with a China dimension on crop protection, mycotoxins, or plant virology, they are a logical first call.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MycoKey
  Flagship EU-China project on mycotoxin management across the full feed and food chain, covering multiple cereals and detection toolkits — their most substantive scientific contribution.
• EUCLID
  An explicit EU-China IPM demonstration project, unusual for directly pairing European and Chinese pest management practice in the field.
• VirFree
  MSCA-RISE staff exchange on virus-free fruit nurseries, showing they also host and send researchers, not only contribute lab work.