The Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence has officially signed the Funding Agreement for the MANIFESTO project, an ambitious research initiative titled “Machine Learning for Intelligent Insect Monitoring.”

According to an announcement by the Centre, the project is funded under the competitive call EXCELLENCE/0524 of the RESTART 2016–2020 Program by the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) and marks a significant step forward in artificial intelligence-driven innovation for sustainable agriculture.

The contract signing took place at the RIF headquarters in Nicosia, attended by Dr. Michalis Mavrovouniotis, Deputy Coordinator of the Earth Big Data Analysis Department of the Centre, Professor Diofantos Hadjimitsis, CEO of the Centre, and Mr. Stavros Kampanellas, Science and Innovation Officer at the Research and Innovation Foundation.

The MANIFESTO project aims to develop an advanced artificial intelligence-based system capable of early detection of harmful insects through monitoring, with a focus on invasive threats such as the Asian Citrus Psyllid, a vector of one of the most deadly and destructive citrus diseases, Huanglongbing (also known as citrus greening disease). The goal is to empower agriculture with real-time, data-driven decision-making tools that strengthen crop protection while promoting sustainable practices.

By integrating Earth observation satellite technology, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, MANIFESTO is expected to redefine pest management, contributing to a smarter, greener, and more resilient agricultural sector in Cyprus and internationally, the announcement concludes.