THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY

Their core work

ICIPE is a Nairobi-based research centre specializing in insect science and its applications to agriculture, livestock health, and disease control across sub-Saharan Africa. They develop and scale biological pest management strategies — most notably push-pull companion cropping technology that boosts yields while suppressing pests — and conduct research on vector-borne diseases like malaria and trypanosomosis. Their work bridges tropical entomology with practical solutions for smallholder farmers and public health systems in East Africa.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ICIPE's early H2020 work (2017–2020) centred on agricultural pest management — banana diseases, biocontrol agents, and push-pull cropping systems to improve yields. From 2021 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward vector-borne diseases: trypanosomosis in livestock, malaria vectors, ticks, and zoonotic disease surveillance. This trajectory shows a broadening from crop protection into a One Health approach connecting insect science to both agriculture and human/animal disease.

ICIPE is moving toward integrated vector management and One Health research, making them an increasingly relevant partner for projects linking climate change, zoonotic disease emergence, and food security in tropical regions.

How they like to work

ICIPE participates exclusively as a partner rather than leading consortia, consistently joining large international teams — 75 unique partners across 31 countries from just 5 projects. This pattern suggests they serve as the go-to African research partner when European consortia need tropical entomology expertise, field trial infrastructure, or on-the-ground validation in East Africa. Working with them means gaining access to established research networks and field sites across sub-Saharan Africa.

Remarkably broad network for a non-European institution: 75 unique consortium partners spanning 31 countries across 5 projects. Their partnerships reach well beyond Africa into European research institutions, reflecting their status as a preferred African partner for globally-oriented health and agriculture consortia.

What sets them apart

ICIPE is one of Africa's premier insect science research centres with over 50 years of field experience, offering something most European partners simply cannot: deep expertise in tropical entomology combined with established field infrastructure across East Africa. For any consortium working on tropical agriculture, vector-borne diseases, or climate adaptation in Africa, ICIPE provides both the scientific credibility and the logistical capacity to run large-scale field studies. Their dual competence in crop pest management and disease vector control positions them uniquely at the intersection of food security and public health.

Highlights from their portfolio

• UPSCALE
  Largest project by far (EUR 1.04M to ICIPE alone), focused on scaling their signature push-pull technology — a proven agricultural innovation — across East Africa.
• PREPARE4VBD
  Cross-disciplinary alliance tackling emerging vector-borne diseases with EUR 556K funding, combining disease ecology, molecular ecology, and climate change modelling.
• COMBAT
  Addresses the critical livestock disease trypanosomosis with a comprehensive approach spanning surveillance, diagnosis, eco-epidemiology, and vector control across African regions.