Minister Stéphanie Obertin; Dirk Fransaer, Director General ad interim of LIST; Minister Martine Hansen; Etienne Jacqué, Chair of the Board of Directors at LIST;
Credit: LIST
On Thursday 24 April 2025, Luxembourg’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) signed a new cooperation agreement at LIST’s laboratories in Belvaux, in the presence of Agriculture Minister Martine Hansen and Research and Higher Education Minister Stéphanie Obertin.
For over twenty years, LIST has collaborated with the Institut viti-vinicole and the Administration of Technical Agricultural Services on activities including crop pest surveillance, alerts to farmers, monitoring of bee colonies, and analysis of pesticide residues in pollen, working closely with beekeepers.
The five-year agreement (2025-2029) defines the general framework for research activities and the financial contribution of the Ministry of Agriculture, set at €258,397 per year. Its objective is to support the agricultural, horticultural and viticultural sectors through sustainable research projects.
In addition to regular activities, the agreement covers the implementation by LIST of various research programmes in areas such as agriculture, plant health, animal health and welfare, One Health, food safety and viticulture. These activities involve providing advice, technical assistance and support to agricultural operations, public administrations, policymakers and professional chambers for the design, evaluation and implementation of agricultural and environmental policies.
“This agreement makes it possible to structure recurring activities and to facilitate the organisation of these activities and of our expert teams within the institute. It will enable us to reduce administrative work and be even more effective and responsive in the future by focusing on our research activities,” stated Etienne Jacqué, Chair of the Board of Directors at LIST.
Following the signing ceremony, Ministers Hansen and Obertin participated in a tour of the laboratories, where LIST’s Scientific Director Lucien Hoffmann and research teams presented key projects in the fields of agriculture and viticulture.
Current research initiatives such as "Sentinelle" and "BeeFirst" address critical issues for the future of agriculture, including the reduction of pesticide use under current and future climate conditions, analysis of pesticide residues in honey and pollen produced in Luxembourg, vineyard monitoring by drones, precision agriculture, and lowering alcohol content in Luxembourgish crémant.
“To prepare agriculture for the future, we must align ourselves with research and innovation, and equip our agricultural sector with cutting-edge research outcomes. I am convinced that the strong collaboration between LIST, our administrations and the agricultural sector will continue to provide concrete solutions to the challenges faced by our producers,” said Minister Hansen.
Minister Obertin added: “LIST, as a public research centre, plays a central role in supporting public policies through high-level scientific expertise. This structured collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture perfectly illustrates LIST’s mission: to place research and innovation at the service of society.”
The ministers also symbolically inaugurated a new “Insect Quarantine Laboratory”, which will allow LIST researchers to study the biological characteristics of exotic insect species that are potentially invasive and considered threats to agriculture.
