The Section’s work ranges from research activities to service delivery, training and knowledge management.
Through its laboratories at Seibersdorf, Austria, it carries out applied research and method development and improvement, helping Member States adapt and integrate the Sterile Insect Technique with other biologically-based methods.
Its research and development work addresses gaps in relation to mass rearing, sterilization, quality control, behaviour, transport and release, microbiology and genetics of major insect pests, such as fruit flies, moths, tsetse flies and mosquitoes. It is complemented by several five-year coordinated research projects, each with the participation of 15-20 researchers from Member States. These projects augment the research at the laboratories, support networking among researchers, and transfer new procedures and methodologies from senior scientists to junior researchers.
The Section also delivers services, supplies biological materials and provides guidance on the development and use of equipment, as well as expert support for coordinated research and field projects. It plays an important role in developing and strengthening technical, managerial and scientific skills required for the effective and efficient application of area-wide integrated pest management programmes. It is also a reference centre for insect strains and mutants.