Vecmap ipm, a one-stop-shop for the sustainable prevention of urban pests of public health importance
You might assume that pest-borne diseases are relics that belong to the past, but you can’t ignore that mosquito’s, ticks, rodents, fleas, bedbugs, cockroaches and several other very well know pests are often bothering you. And surely you did not remain unaffected when the news about Zika virus, spread during the latest Olympic games, was threatening the future lives of unborn children. We currently witness important changes in ecology, climate & human behaviour that favour the development of urban pests. Global travel and trade, urbanisation and environmental challenges are causing pest related human diseases to emerge. Avia-GIS is aiming to prevent pests from disturbing our lives wherever we are! Most pest controllers still limit their interventions to reactive control using harsh chemicals in a ‘carpet bombing’ setting despite EU regulations 2014, imposing to revert to proactive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles. Avia-GIS is a leading Belgian innovative SME established in 2001 who has built research and public authority trust over the past 17 years and developed a unique, disruptive software suite - VECMAP® - that will support society to overcome one of its important health threats, the spreading of Pests of Public Health importance. Avia-GIS grew steadily by 17% per year, having now an annual turn-over of 2M€ and employing 15 highly specialised staff members. With the help of the H2020 Instrument, we will be able to add IPM functionalities and bring VECMAP®IPM to the market. Within 5 years Avia-GIS will enable 3.200 SME pest controllers and 3.600 local authorities to shift to IPM strategies. With the grant we will raise revenue from 2 M€ to 22 M€ in 2023 and headcount from 15 to 58 in 2023 and contribute to the scaling of 7 resellers in Europe. The H2020 grant is an essential component of our second investment round that will allow us to attract the needed additional private investment money upon signature of the EC grant.