1. The purpose of this agreement is to provide an early-warning system supporting the efforts of the USDA's animal and plant health inspection service (APHIS)-plant protection and quarantine (PPQ)…

The Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded a $562,786 cooperative agreement to North Carolina State University on June 1, 2026, to operate PestLens, an early-warning system supporting Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) efforts to protect U.S. agriculture and natural resources against exotic plant pests.

North Carolina State University, through its Center for Integrated Pest Management (CIPM NCSU), reviews published information on plant pests not yet established in the U.S., summarizes findings in weekly notification articles, and maintains a web-based platform documenting PPQ's risk-based safeguarding decisions and resulting actions. CIPM NCSU distributes these notifications to all PPQ staff members weekly and provides minor platform maintenance and improvements as needed. PPQ is the primary user of PestLens, followed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection. The system is also available to registered users representing state governments, academia, foreign governments, and industry.

The period of performance runs from June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2027, with work performed in Raleigh, North Carolina. The award carries no known sub-recipients. This funding supports CFDA 10.025, Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care, which protects U.S. agriculture from economically injurious plant and animal diseases and pests.

1. The purpose of this agreement is to provide an early-warning system supporting the efforts of the USDA's animal and plant health inspection service (APHIS)-plant protection and quarantine (PPQ) to protect U.S. Agriculture and natural resources against exotic plant pests. Pestlens collects and distributes new information on exotic plant pests and provides a web-based platform for documenting safeguarding decisions and resulting actions to prevent the spread of plant pests that can be used for regulatory and pest management purposes. 2. The recipient will review a large amount of published information related to plant pests not established in the U.S. And summarize information of interest in articles contained in a weekly notification. Cipm ncsu will also maintain a website to house these articles as well as the risk-based decision made by PPQ in response. 3. Cipm ncsu will distribute the notifications to all PPQ staff members every week and maintain the network with minor improvements as needed. 4. PPQ is the primary user of pestlens, followed by U.S. Department of homeland security customs and border protection. Pestlens is also available and distributed to registered users representing state governments, academia, foreign governments, industry, and others. 5. There are no known subrecipients of this award.