KOPPERT BV

Their core work

Koppert BV is a Dutch private company and global leader in biological crop protection, specializing in the development, production, and deployment of natural enemies — predatory insects, mites, and beneficial microorganisms — to replace or reduce chemical pesticides in commercial agriculture. Their core expertise lies in biocontrol product development, where they breed and optimize natural enemy populations for use against a wide range of agricultural pests. In EU research projects, they serve as an industry partner providing practical knowledge, biological material, and real-world field conditions for training and applied research. Their participation in MSCA training networks suggests they also invest in developing the next generation of biocontrol scientists by hosting early-stage researchers.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Koppert's earliest H2020 engagement (BINGO, 2015–2018) was firmly grounded in the genetics and life history of natural enemies — understanding how to breed, select, and monitor invertebrate biocontrol agents at a population level. Their second project (MIRA, 2017–2021) shifted the lens from the predator to the plant, investigating how microbial agents can induce resistance in crops directly. This suggests a deliberate broadening of their biocontrol toolkit: from "deploy natural enemies" toward "make plants more resistant through microbes," which is a distinct and complementary mode of action. With only two projects and no keywords recorded for MIRA, the direction after 2021 cannot be confirmed from this dataset alone.

Koppert appears to be expanding from breeding-based biocontrol into microbiome-driven plant protection, suggesting future collaborations may span both entomology and microbial ecology.

How they like to work

Koppert has participated exclusively as a consortium partner — never as coordinator — in both their H2020 projects, both of which were MSCA Initial Training Networks. This is a typical industry-partner role in MSCA-ITN consortia: providing secondment placements and applied research environments for doctoral candidates rather than leading scientific direction. Their 22 unique partners across 12 countries from just 2 projects indicates they joined well-connected, multi-institutional training networks rather than small bilateral arrangements.

Koppert has built connections with 22 distinct consortium partners spanning 12 countries through only 2 projects, reflecting the broad multi-institutional composition typical of MSCA training networks. Their network is European in reach, likely including academic institutions and research institutes across Northern and Western Europe given the agricultural focus.

What sets them apart

Koppert BV is unusual in the H2020 landscape as a large private company (non-SME) in biological crop protection — a sector where most industry participants are either SMEs or agrochemical giants. Their participation in MSCA training networks specifically signals a commitment to long-term talent development and academic collaboration rather than pure product commercialization. For a consortium building a project at the intersection of sustainable agriculture, IPM, and biological science, Koppert offers direct access to commercial-scale biocontrol knowledge, real production pipelines, and an established global distribution network for biological agents.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BINGO
  Represents Koppert's most keyword-rich and technically detailed H2020 engagement, combining population genomics, genetic improvement, and risk monitoring to advance the science of breeding better biocontrol agents.
• MIRA
  Marks a conceptual expansion into microbe-induced resistance — a different mode of action from Koppert's core predator-deployment business — suggesting deliberate investment in next-generation plant protection strategies.