Global R&D Commercial Alliance

Aphea.Bio to enter into strategic research partnership with Bayer to co-develop bioinsecticides against sap-sucking insects

Co-Development Alliance Targets Destructive Specialty and Row Crop Pests with Microbial Metabolites

In a major step to address intensifying pest resistance and chemical restrictions, Aphea.Bio to enter into strategic research partnership with Bayer to co-develop bioinsecticides against sap-sucking insects. Formalized at a signing ceremony in Monheim, Germany, the collaboration blends Aphea.Bio’s specialized discovery engine—which isolates bioactive metabolites from curated microbial strains—with Bayer’s extensive global market reach and scaling infrastructure. These next-generation biological traits initially target high-value fruit sectors like pome, stone, citrus, and grapes, with secondary development planned for vegetables and broadacre row crops. By focusing on non-living microbial derivatives, the prototypes bypass the traditional shelf-life and handling constraints of live biological solutions, delivering stable integrated pest management alternatives as field validations begin.

Gent, Belgium, June 10, 2026 – Aphea.Bio announces a partnership with Bayer to accelerate development of bioinsecticides against sap-sucking insects, major crop pests that cause significant economic damage. The collaboration aims to broaden the crop protection toolbox for growers, leveraging Aphea.Bio’s proprietary R&D pipeline of bioactive metabolites extracted from carefully selected microbial strains.

Sap-sucking insects pose significant challenges to global agriculture. Regulatory restrictions and resistance issues on certain insecticide classes have created an urgent need for effective alternatives. Bioinsecticides derived from microbial metabolites offer a distinctive approach: combining the benefits of biological solutions with the handling and shelf-life of non-living products. This is where Aphea.Bio comes in, screening thousands of microbial strains and advancing the most promising leads through development phases focused on safety, efficacy and market-ready specifications.

Strategic complementarity

Aphea.Bio now joins forces with Bayer to combine its extensive lead identification, characterization and development expertise with Bayer’s global market reach, commercialization as well as development capabilities. The collaboration initially targets fruit crops including pome, stone, citrus and grapes, with further potential in vegetables and row crops such as cotton and soybean. The partnership agreement was formalized at a signing ceremony in Monheim on June 9, 2026, underscoring both organizations’ commitment to bringing transformative crop protection solutions to market.

“The bioinsecticide market has been waiting for a partnership like this,” said Isabel Vercauteren, CEO of Aphea.Bio. “Bayer’s decision to collaborate with us reflects confidence in our team’s ability in developing high-quality bioinsecticide leads, while they bring the capability to take these solutions to millions of farmers. Together, we can deliver crop protection that actually works on a global scale, addressing pests that currently have few effective options.”

“Through this research partnership with Aphea.Bio, we help broaden the crop protection toolbox and accelerate the development of innovative, effective and scalable biological solutions that meet the evolving needs of growers,” said Benoit Hartmann, Insights, Innovation & Partnerships Lead in Bayer’s Crop Science division.

Building the path to market

The companies will work collaboratively to advance prototype products through field validation and early regulatory engagement. Milestone discussions are structured around clear gates for efficacy, safety, producibility and regulatory pathway clarity. The financial terms and conditions have not been disclosed.

Aphea.Bio & Bayer Crop Science Strategic Alliance

Gent, Belgium & Monheim, Germany | Technical Co-Development Registry | June 2026