The B-THENET project is profoundly honoured to announce it has received the prestigious Global Technical Recognition of Good Practices and Innovations in Sustainable Livestock Transformation, One Health, Animal Health and Reference Centres from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

B-THENET earned this top recognition for its innovative bottom-up methodology and the creation of an open-access dataset of Best Beekeeping Practices hosted on the B-THENET Digital Platform, and its ready-to-launch AI integration for global scalability.

This success highlights the project’s tangible impact in:

• Boosting economic efficiency and resilience for beekeepers.
• Promoting environmental sustainability through healthier bee populations.
• Fostering trust and collaboration across the sector.
• Strengthening governance via improved data management.

The ceremony took place in Rome (IT) on the 15th of October 2025. To know more about the event: LINK.

Dr. Giovanni Formato IZSLT, B-THENET Coordinator, and Dr. Thanawat Tiensin, Assistant Director-General and Director of the Animal Production and Health Division (NSA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

B-THENET participated in the APIMONDIA Congress 2025 with many activities! APIMONDIA is the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations, a non-governmental organisation that has been active since 1895, making it one of the oldest international federations dedicated to a specific agricultural sector. Its core mission is to promote scientific, technical, ecological, social and economic apicultural development worldwide. At the 2025 Congress held in Copenhagen, B-THENET enriched dialogue through innovative tools, collaborative expertise and evidence-based insights.

Advancing Digital Innovation

B-THENET contributed a groundbreaking AI-powered tool trained on quality-verified Good Beekeeping Practices and Biosecurity Measures from the B-THENET platform. Over 80 participants from 21 countries (including Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Luxembourg, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Uruguay) actively engaged in the 3-hour session. Through a live demonstration, beekeepers were trained on how to use the AI tool to extract evidence-based information from the Platform, prompting open discussion on comparisons among EU countries and extending the dialogue to those beyond the TN. In line with B-THENET’s bottom-up approach, participants chose a discussion theme and explored it interactively through questions posed to the ChatBot, using its responses to guide the debate.

Facilitating Global Knowledge Exchange

Together with three other Horizon Europe projects, B-THENET co-organised the World Café on Resilient Beekeeping, on the occasion of the 49^th Apimondia Congress in Copenhagen. Participants were divided into three small groups rotating through themed roundtables with 5-7 experts each, ensuring every voice was heard. The themes were selected as key elements of the projects’ agendas, all falling under the umbrella of resilient beekeeping: Technology and Digital Innovation, Sustainability and Climate Resilience, and Citizen Science. Participants included 18 professional beekeepers, 26 hobbyist beekeepers, 20 researchers, 1 policymaker/regulator, 4 representatives from NGOs, 2 students and 12 bee-lovers. The session, held at the heart of the largest international apicultural congress, attracted participants from a wide range of nationalities.

On technology and digital innovation:

B-THENET explored beekeepers’ perceptions of digital innovation through an interactive session on their best and worst experiences with technological tools, their views on AI training, and desired future developments. Beekeepers reported successfully using a range of digital solutions and expressed interest in future technologies that could better identify diseases, optimise treatment timing, analyse bee behaviour, and support colony management through predictive AI. Negative experiences mostly concerned unreliable remote monitoring apps that generated incorrect data, sometimes leading to colony losses. Participants expressed strong interest in AI-based training, on the condition that the technology is further stabilised and supported by a rigorously verified knowledge base.

On Sustainability & Climate Resilience:

B-THENET experts facilitated discussions with participants from 28 countries, capturing insights about climate impacts—from extended brood-rearing seasons to disrupted floral resources. Varroa emerged as the top future concern, with strong demand for practical, actionable research outcomes.

On Citizen Science: B-THENET contributed to a three-point action plan emphasising clear communication, user-friendly tools, and long-term recognition of contributors.

Sharing Scientific Evidence

B-THENET’s exhibition booth provided continuous access to project outcomes throughout the week, while three scientific posters shared methodological innovations and research findings.