The University of Thessaly has achieved an important international distinction in the field of pioneering research and fungi-based innovation, as its MultiBioCrop research team was selected among the Top 5 Innovators of the international The Future is Fungi Award 2026, out of 126 teams from 43 countries.
The MultiBioCrop research team, from the Plant Health Management Laboratory of the Department of Agriculture - Agrotechnology, is developing an innovative biological preparation based on beneficial fungi for sustainable plant protection and crop nutrition.
The Future is Fungi Award is an international innovation and entrepreneurship competition that highlights scientific teams and start-ups using fungi to develop sustainable solutions in sectors such as agriculture, biotechnology, the environment and the circular economy.
The MultiBioCrop team consists of Professor Panagiotis Eliopoulos, Spyros Mantzoukas, Researcher at ELGO-DIMITRA, and Dimitris Natsiopoulos and Ilias Platis, members of the Laboratory Teaching Staff of the University of Thessaly.
As one of the top five teams in the competition, MultiBioCrop will participate this autumn in a three-month business acceleration programme, aimed at further developing the technology from a business perspective, accelerating its pathway towards commercialisation and preparing the team to attract funding from investors. Upon completion of the programme, the participating teams will have the opportunity to compete for total funding of €60,000.
This distinction enhances the international visibility of the University of Thessaly, highlighting its role as a producer of knowledge and innovation with substantial social, environmental and economic impact.
