The research team in FABI that works with bark and ambrosia beetles, are currently part of an international collaborative project with American peers, funded jointly by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and National Science Foundation (NSF). The South African consortium is led by Prof. Wilhelm de Beer, and the American team by Prof. Jiri Hulcr of the University of Florida, Gainesville.

The funding specifically aims to promote collaboration and the establishment of long-term research partnerships in the field of Bark and Ambrosia beetles and their microbial associates. The project started in 2018 and will end in 2022. This initiative is very pertinent in view of the current outbreak of the Polyphagous Shothole Borer (PSHB) in South Africa. Several members of the PSHB Research Network are also active participants in the NRF/NSF project.

The SA-USA network has had two in-person meetings thus far: one in the USA in December 2018, and a week-long workshop in South Africa in October 2019. In addition, they regularly have online discussions, such as during the past week. Several FABIans joined Prof. de Beer in his office to take part in the online meeting on Friday 21 February. These discussions are open to any researchers in this field of study from anywhere in the world. 

All the detail about the members and activities of the group are available on a dedicated Wiki page.