BINGO trained young scientists in a broad set of skills enabling them to start their careers as confident, independent-thinking researchers, who can face the challenges of improving biocontrol using genetic knowledge. The BINGO Summer Schools and courses formed the basis for their research and allowed ESRs to develop professional skills. In BINGO’s high-quality scientific environment, they could share results, receive and provide critical feedback and ideas to further improve their research projects. The composition of BINGO ensured all researchers were into contact with biocontrol companies and experienced entrepreneurship, next to the academic and institutional cultures at their hosts. The BINGO training provided ESRs with all skills necessary to enter the job-market as well-balanced researchers.
Next to the training, ESRs produced high-quality scientific results moving the biocontrol field forward. Structured along the main challenges in current biocontrol, ESRs worked on rearing and storage, monitoring, performance, and explored genomic approaches. ESRs delivered valuable genetic resources for biocontrol agents, including four natural enemy genomes. These were instrumental in developing monitoring tools and methodology, such as neutral markers to assess the impact of biocontrol agents on local biodiversity. To improve rearing and storage, the effects of probiotics on artificial diets for mass-rearing were explored, as well as the genetic basis of reproductive dormancy, allowing for better natural enemy deployment. A key issue in improving biocontrol agents is the choice of target traits. BINGO researchers have developed a general modeling framework facilitating this choice based on economic prospects. Across several projects, ESRs worked at optimizing biocontrol agents or factitious hosts and delivered valuable insights into the biology and genetic basis of traits such as drought resistance, host plant exudate tolerance, diet choice, and wing morphology. While several projects tried to improve these traits by selective breeding, this proved a challenging task to complete within a three-year research project. Nevertheless, the information collected on the biology, and the proof-of-principle of genomic selection in a natural enemy, will be a starting point for new projects.
Important for the impact of the results and for the ESRs’ careers, results were published in high-quality scientific journals. To reach a wider audience, BINGO disseminated its results through its newsletter and updates on social media, which were followed by scientists and professionals. BINGO aimed at reaching the next-generation, by developing a high-school teaching module on biocontrol and genetics. BINGO produced eight peer-reviewed publications, four are in review, and more than seven are in preparation. These include a review paper on the need for genomic approaches in biocontrol, contributions to a special BINGO issue of the journal Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata for June 2019, and a position paper on the use of genetics in biocontrol. We evaluated our results for IPR, but they did not appear suitable for patenting.
