By Dimitra Fourkalidou | Head of Communications | reframe.food
On June 4, 2025, at 10:00 CEST, the STELLA Horizon Europe project will host its first Capacity Building Workshop, titled “Pest Detection Tools feat. the Lithuanian Pilot”—an event designed to foster collaboration and share insights on pest detection and crop protection innovations.
The session will bring together a wide array of experts and researchers from across Europe, each contributing to the development and deployment of advanced technologies in agricultural sustainability.
With a strong emphasis on digital monitoring, real-time tools, and hands-on field applications, the workshop aims to provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of how science and technology are converging to support healthier crops and more resilient food systems.
Below is a detailed look at the agenda, including the speakers who will lead each session and the expertise they bring to the table.
10:00 – 10:10 Introduction to the STELLA Horizon EU Project
Organisation: Landwirtschaftliche Universität Athen
Speaker: Prof. Dimitris Tsitsigiannis
Prof. Dimitris Tsitsigiannis, Coordinator of the STELLA project, is a member of the Department of Crop Science and the Board of Directors at the Agricultural University of Athens, Greece. He received his PhD from the Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison in the USA, and he is currently President of the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union. He is leading a group of 15 PhD and MSc students working on: 1) developing and testing in the field effective, durable, and environmentally sustainable biological and integrated management strategies to control plant diseases; 2) epidemiology and management of myxotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxins; 3) smart tools to improve diagnosis, forecasting and monitoring on plant pathogens and diseases utilizing technology innovations; 4) elucidation of plant disease resistance and pathogen virulence mechanisms.
10:10 – 10:20 Project Objectives
Organisation: Agricultural University of Athens
Speaker: Dr. Ioannis Zafeiriou
Dr. Ioannis Zafeiriou, Project Manager of the STELLA project, is a graduate of the Department of Natural Resources Management & Agricultural Engineering at the Agricultural University of Athens, with a specialization in Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry. He holds a Master’s degree in “Sustainable Agriculture and Business” and a PhD in Environmental Soil Science. He is a researcher at the Laboratory of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry at AUA, specializing in contaminated soil remediation, crop biofortification, phytoremediation, and soil health monitoring.
10:20 – 10:30 Introduction to the STELLA Use Case Pilots
Organisation: Agricultural University of Athens
Speaker: Dr. Ioannis Zafeiriou
(See bio above)
10:30 – 10:45 The Lithuanian Use Case Pilot
Speaker: Irmantas Čepulis
Irmantas Čepulis is the Project Manager of the STELLA project at AgriFood Lithuania DIH. He was born in a small town in central Lithuania on a small farm. He holds a degree in Medical Engineering. In recent years, he has become increasingly involved in the agricultural sector, engaging in cooperative activities with local farmers, agricultural universities, and AgriFood Lithuania. His work focuses on promoting innovative bio-organic technologies and supporting the transition to sustainable agriculture.
10:45 – 11:00 remote sensing technologies – satellites
Organisation: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU)
Speaker: Aleksandar Dujaković
Aleksandar Dujaković is a project assistant and PhD student at the Institute of Geomatics at BOKU University. He earned his MSc in Mountain Forestry in 2022 and has experience in forest inventory and remote sensing applications for agriculture, including pest detection and yield estimation.
11:00 – 11:15 remote sensing technologies – UAVs
Organisation: Landwirtschaftliche Universität Athen
Speaker: Fotis Deligiannis
Fotis Deligiannis is an agronomist specialized in plant production and integrated management. He holds an MSc in Digital Technologies and Smart Infrastructure in Agriculture from AUA. His experience spans vegetable and fruit production, and he is currently engaged in Horizon EU projects with the Smart Farming & Technology Group at AUA.
11:15 – 11:30 proximal sensing technologies – Eden Viewer
Organisation: EdenCore Technologies
Speaker: Konstantinos Laliotis
Konstantinos Laliotis is an agronomist and Field Expert at EdenCore. He holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering from AUA and has worked on crop production, packaging, and post-harvest processing. At EdenCore, he manages field data capture using AI-powered tools for real-time crop monitoring.
11:30 – 11:40 BREAK
11:40 – 11:55 proximal sensing technologies – iScout – Remptre Traps
Organisation: METOS by Pessl Instruments
Speaker: Dr. Heiner Denzer
Dr. Heiner Denzer was raised on a small farm in Germany and has a lifelong background in agriculture. He earned his PhD in plant pathology and has developed disease and growth models and insect traps for Pessl Instruments.
11:55 – 12:05 proximal sensing technologies – Citizen Science – iScout Mobile App
Organisation: METOS by Pessl Instruments
Speaker: Victor Zuniga-Burgos
Victor Zuniga-Burgos manages PESSL’s plant protection products. He studied Agricultural and Biological Engineering in Ecuador and Plant Science at Wageningen University. His experience spans the banana, cacao, and seed industries in Latin America and Europe, and he is focused on sustainable agriculture solutions.
12:05 – 12:15 The STELLA Pest Surveillance System
Speaker: Fotis Deligiannis
(See bio above)
12:15 – 12:25 Presentation of the Quantifarm Project
Organisation: reframe.food
Speaker: Alkis Kyriakou
Alkis Kyriakou is a Project Manager at reframe.food. He holds a Diploma in Chemical Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and has over 20 years of experience managing national and EU projects across various sectors including environment, digital transformation, and innovation. He specializes in consultancy services to public bodies and nonprofits.
12:25 – 12:30 Wrap Up & Final Remarks
Speaker: Prof. Dimitris Tsitsigiannis
(See bio above)
This workshop serves as a key capacity-building opportunity, equipping stakeholders with practical knowledge, emerging tools, and collaborative insights that support smarter, more sustainable approaches to plant health. By connecting research, innovation, and field experience, we aim to empower participants to actively contribute to the transformation of agriculture and food systems.
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