Key Takeaways
- Gene&GreenTK, Lipofabrik (Eléphant Vert Group), INRAE, and Enigma have formed a French consortium to develop the BIOSPHÆRE project, a new generation of biological crop protection solutions for tomatoes.
- The project runs from January 2026 to December 2028, carries a total budget of €3 million, and is supported by €1.5 million in public funding under France's France 2030 Regionalized i-Demo Programme.
- BIOSPHÆRE will combine antimicrobial enzymes, biocontrol lipopeptides, biocontrol microorganisms, and natural antifungal substances to protect tomato crops from insect pests and bacterial and fungal diseases.
- The programme covers the full development pipeline — from active substance production and formulation through to field trials, industrial scale-up, and regulatory compliance.
- Tomatoes are a strategically important crop for France's Sud Region, and the project is designed to reduce dependence on chemical pesticides while strengthening food sovereignty and accelerating agroecological transition.
Gene&GreenTK Coordinates New Four-Partner French Biosolutions Consortium
French biotech startup Gene&GreenTK, based in Marseille, is coordinating a new four-partner consortium — BIOSPHÆRE — brought together to develop biological alternatives to conventional crop protection products for tomato cultivation. Partners include Lipofabrik of the Eléphant Vert Group, national agricultural research institute INRAE, and specialist testing laboratory Enigma.
The project is funded under France's France 2030 Regionalized i-Demo Programme, an interregional initiative between the Sud Region and Hauts-de-France Region. It runs for 36 months from January 2026 to December 2028, with a total consortium budget of €3 million, half of which is covered by public funding. Work will be conducted across both partner regions.
What BIOSPHÆRE Aims to Develop and Why
The consortium is responding to growing regulatory and environmental pressure to reduce the use of conventional chemical pesticides in European agriculture. Tomatoes were chosen as the primary focus crop due to their economic weight in the Sud Region, strong domestic demand, and the increasing number of phytosanitary challenges growers face.
BIOSPHÆRE will develop and test four categories of biological active substances: antimicrobial enzymes, biocontrol lipopeptides, biocontrol microorganisms, and natural antifungal substances. These will be evaluated against the main pests and diseases affecting tomato production, covering insect pests alongside bacterial and fungal pathogens. The programme is structured in successive phases — moving from substance production and formulation through advanced field trials under real growing conditions, then addressing industrial scale-up, economic viability, and regulatory compliance.
What Each Partner Brings to the Project
Gene&GreenTK will lead the development and optimisation of antimicrobial enzyme candidates. Lipofabrik – Eléphant Vert Group will handle the development, formulation, and industrial scale-up of lipopeptide and microorganism-based biosolutions. INRAE's Avignon Plant Pathology Research Unit will lead scientific evaluation of candidate solutions, drawing on its expertise in Mediterranean agroecology and plant-pathogen interactions. Enigma, a phytopharmaceutical testing laboratory with more than 20 years of field trial experience, will conduct insect pest trials and validate performance under realistic agricultural conditions.
Gene&GreenTK and Lipofabrik on the Programme's Significance
“BIOSPHÆRE embodies a new generation of biological solutions capable of addressing the agricultural, environmental, and industrial challenges of tomorrow,” said David Daudé, CEO of Gene&GreenTK.
“BIOSPHÆRE goes beyond delivering a product. It provides practical solutions to help tomato growers manage uncertainty and operate their crops in a more stable and reliable way,” said Luc Maertens, Chief Strategy & Portfolio Officer at Lipofabrik – Eléphant Vert Group.
The consortium's stated goals include cutting chemical pesticide use, creating high-performance sustainable alternatives for farmers, strengthening food sovereignty, and supporting the broader agroecological transition of agricultural production in the Sud Region and beyond.
