Posted on Fri, 12 Jun 2026, 08:58

Deadline on Sun, 12 Jul 2026, 23:59

The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat invites nominations for an appropriately qualified expert in Bacteriology to join the IPPC Technical Panel on Diagnostic Protocols (TPDP).

Deadline for nominations: 12 July 2026.

Experts will be appointed for a five-year term starting in September 2026. They are expected to be available to attend TPDP annual face-to-face meetings, including the one scheduled for 14–18 September 2026 in Wageningen, the Netherlands. In addition, experts should be able to attend all TPDP virtual meetings held throughout the year (see detailed requirements below).

All meeting dates will be published on the IPPC Calendar (2026).

A strong working knowledge of English is required as this group operates in English only, with no interpretation.

1. Specific expertise required

Candidates should have diagnostic expertise in their relevant field, including practical and research experience in the use of morphological, molecular and biochemical diagnostic techniques, in quality assurance and in phytosanitary procedures. Experience in developing diagnostic protocols is highly desired.

The Standards Committee (SC) will select the best candidate based on their skills and experiences.

Willingness and availability to participate continuously in the work of the TPDP throughout the year, including face-to-face meetings, virtual meetings, and intersession work is essential. The tasks of the TPDP are described in the Specification TP1. For more information about the TPDP, please access the webpage by clicking here.

2. Instructions for submitting nominations

Nominations can be submitted through e-mail or via the online submission form no later than 12 July 2026.

Nominations will be accepted from contracting parties, national or regional plant protection organizations (NPPOs or RPPOs) through their respective NPPO or RPPO official IPPC Contact Point. Self-nominations should be supported by a letter from the respective IPPC contact point.

A nomination should only be submitted if the nominee has agreed to his/her nomination, is available for the meeting dates as posted on the IPPC Calendar and can allocate time to the tasks as outlined in the Statement of Commitment. Each nomination must be accompanied by the following documentation:

1. Completed nominee details and summary of expertise form
2. Completed and signed Statement of Commitment form
3. The nominee's Curriculum Vitae (CV)

The templates for the summary of expertise form and the Statement of Commitment form are posted below on this webpage.

2.1 Nominations by e-mail

Submissions should be sent to the IPPC Secretariat by e-mail [email protected], with copy to [email protected] and [email protected] no later than 12 July 2026. The name of the nominating country or RPPO and “Call for Technical Panel on Diagnostic Protocols Experts” should be placed in the subject line of the email message.

The email should contain the following three attachments:

1. Completed nominee details and summary of expertise form – (only as an MS Word file). All sections should be completed, including contact details, education and professional training. A clear description of the nominee’s expertise is required. See form below.

The file should be named as follows: COUNTRY_SURNAME_Firstname_Summary;

2. Completed and signed Statement of Commitment form – this should be read carefully by each nominee and discussed between the nominee and their employer. The m should then be signed by the nominee and a senior person in authority from the organization that employs the nominee. See form below.

The form should be submitted with the nomination (as a scanned image file such as PDF). The file should be named as follows: COUNTRY_SURNAME_Firstname_commitment;

3. The nominee’s Curriculum Vitae (CV) – electronic copy of the nominee’s CV.

The file should be named as follows: COUNTRY_SURNAME_Firstname_CV.

2.2. Online submission form

The online submission form, which can also be filled out offline, should be completed no later than 12 July 2026. After completing the form, a confirmation email will be sent to the specified email address with the completed form attached.

The online form will generate the following:

1. Completed nominee details and summary of expertise online form (the forms are enclosed for ease of reference);

You will have to attach to the online submission form the following documents:

1. Completed and signed Statement of Commitment form – should be read carefully by each nominee and discussed between the nominee and their employer. The form should then be signed by the nominee and a senior person in authority from the organization that employs the nominee. The form should be submitted with the nomination (as a scanned image file such as a PDF). The file should be named as follows: COUNTRY_SURNAME_Firstname_commitment;

2. The nominee's Curriculum Vitae (CV) – electronic copy of the nominee's CV with the file named as follows: COUNTRY_SURNAME_Firstname_CV.

The online form is available here after logging in as the NPPO: Link

4. Funding for experts to attend meetings

The organisation that employs an IPPC meeting participant is responsible for funding the travel and daily subsistence allowance for that person to attend. If the employer is unable to allocate sufficient funds, participants are first encouraged to seek assistance from sources other than the IPPC Secretariat. Where such demonstrated efforts to secure assistance have been unsuccessful, requests for assistance (i.e. travel and subsistence costs) from the IPPC Secretariat may be made. However, any support is subject to available funds. The IPPC Secretariat will consider funding assistance for participants following IPPC criteria for funding. Full details on these criteria can be found on the IPP (https://www.ippc.int/publications/criteria-used-prioritizing-participants-receive-travel-assistance-attend-meetings).

Experts of the technical panel are expected to attend all sessions of the meetings and those participants who plan to attend only part of a meeting should fund their own travel.

For more information about this call or about the TPDP, please contact [email protected] and [email protected].

All forms are available below:

• Attachment 1: 2026-06_NomineeDetailsSummaryExpertise_TPDP.docx
• Attachment 2: Statement of Commitment