MD23 Second announcement
7th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MICROBIAL DIVERSITY
“Agrifood microbiota as a tool for a sustainable future”
September 26-29, 2023
Paganini Congressi – Parma (Italy)
https://www.paganinicongressi.it/#paganini-congressi
On behalf of the Italian Society of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology (SIMTREA), it is a pleasure to announce the 7th International Conference on Microbial Diversity 2023, that will take place in Parma from 26 to 29 September 2023, at the Paganini Congressi. The Conference is organized by University of Parma and SIMTREA.
The MD is a prestigious International congress that has seen its number of participants increasing over the years and that brings together researchers and professionals working on agricultural, environmental and food microbiology from all over the world.
The theme of 7th Edition of MD is “Agrifood microbiota as a tool for a sustainable future” and includes four sessions: FOOD microbiota as a tool for a sustainable future; HUMAN microbiota as a tool for a sustainable future; ENVIROMENT microbiota as a tool for a sustainable future; Sustainable future has come.
Parma is the right place in the right moment to host the MD 2023 as it is the cradle of many ideas in just as many fields of research and is hosting several events bringing together people from all over the World. The world population is continuously increasing, facing problems such as Food security, Food safety, Climate changes, Pandemic. The agrifood microbiota and its diversity would be the key tool for a sustainable future.
Share thoughts and ideas for these ambitious goals in Parma!
WEBSITE AND CONTACTS
Website
Information on the MD23 can be found at https://www.md23.simtrea.org/
Contacts
For scientific, organising and general information matters, contact the MD23 secretariat: secretariatMD23@simtrea.org
For payment matters, contact the SIMTREA treasury: tesoreria@simtrea.org
SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME
The MD23 programme will include: 5 thematic sessions, 3 invited plenary lectures, 4 invited keynote lectures, 16 presentations, 20 short presentations, 5 poster session.
The Scientific Programme will start on Tuesday 26 September 2023 at 16:30 by the Opening lecture given by Prof. Marco Gobbetti. On the same day, the Welcome Ceremony will be held at the University of Parma Central Palace.
On Wednesday 27 September 2023, the programme will start at 9:00 with the Plenary Lecture given by Prof. Paul Cotter that will introduce the session on “FOOD microbiota as a tool for a sustainable future”.
In the afternoon, starting at 14:00, the programme wil continue with the keynote lecture – Prof. Sarah Lebeer, introducing the Session on “HUMAN microbiota as a tool for a sustainable future”.
On Thursday 28 September 2023, the Session on “ENVIROMENT microbiota as a tool for a sustainable future” will be open at 9:00 by the Plenary lecture given by Prof. Peiying Hong. In the afternoon, the keynote lecture given by Prof. Daniele Daffonchio will introduce the session on “Exploiting microbiomes for a sustainable future”. The Gala Dinner will end the day starting at 20:00.
On Friday 29 September 2023, the final session on “Sustainable future has come” will be introduced by the Keynote lecture given by Proff. Daniele del Rio and Danilo Ercolini. The conference will officially close before Lunch. In the afternoon, the SIMTREA meeting will be held.
CONFIRMED INVITED SPEAKERS
- Prof. Paul Cotter (Teagasc & SeqBiome, University of Cork, Ireland)
Plenary lecture: A MASTER Plan: Leveraging food and food chain microbiome data for a sustainable future - Prof. Daniele Daffonchio (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia)
Keynote lecture: Ecology of the thermal adaptation of microbial communities in time and space - Prof. Daniele Del Rio (University of Parma, Italy)
Keynote lecture: Research and innovation network on Food and Nutrition Sustainability, Safety and Security: the ONFOODS national partnership - Prof. Danilo Ercolini (University of Naples Federico II, Italy)
Keynote lecture: The National Center for the Development of New Technologies in Agriculture (Agritech): Microbiota as tools for a sustainable development of agri-food production - Prof. Marco Gobbetti (Libera Università di Bolzano, Italy)
Opening plenary lecture: How to manage with fermentation microbiomes: metabolic framework of spontaneous versus synthetic metacommunities. - Prof. Peiying Hong (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia)
Plenary lecture: Building a resilient and sustainable water system for our future urban farms - Prof. Sarah Lebeer (University of Antwerp, Belgium)
Keynote lecture: The uniqueness of the microbiome of the human reproductive tract
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Erasmo Neviani (University of Parma, Italy), Monica Gatti (University of Parma, Italy), Camilla Lazzi (University of Parma, Italy), Valentina Bernini (University of Parma, Italy), Benedetta Bottari (University of Parma, Italy), Elena Bancalari (University of Parma, Italy), Alessia Levante (University of Parma, Italy), Annalisa Ricci (University of Parma, Italy), Jasmine Hadj Sadoun (University of Parma, Italy), Francesco Martelli (University of Parma, Italy), Luca Bettera (University of Parma, Italy), Laura Troiani (University of Parma, Italy), Saverio Monica (University of Parma, Italy), Martina Marrella (University of Parma, Italy), Luca Fontechiari (University of Parma, Italy), Claudia Della Pina (University of Parma, Italy), Gaia Bertani (University of Parma, Italy), Laura Marchi (University of Parma, Italy), Teresa Zotta (University of Basilicata, Italy).
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
Paul Cotter (Teagasc Food Research Centre, University of Cork, Ireland), Daniele Daffonchio (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia), Daniele Del Rio (University of Parma, Italy), Danilo Ercolini (University of Naples Federico II, Italy), Marco Gobbetti (Libera Università di Bolzano, Italy), Peiying Hong (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia), Sarah Lebeer (University of Antwerp, Belgium), Erasmo Neviani (University of Parma, Italy), Monica Gatti (University of Parma, Italy), Camilla Lazzi (University of Parma, Italy), Valentina Bernini (University of Parma, Italy), Benedetta Bottari (University of Parma, Italy), Elena Bancalari (University of Parma, Italy), Alessia Levante (University of Parma, Italy), Annalisa Ricci (University of Parma, Italy), Jasmine Hadj Sadoun (University of Parma, Italy), Francesco Martelli (University of Parma, Italy), Rosalba Lanciotti (University of Bologna, Italy), Luca Cocolin (University of Turin, Italy), Carlo Giuseppe Rizzello (University of Rome, Italy), Olimpia Pepe (University of Naples, Italy), Monica Agnolucci (University of Pisaa, Italy), Luca Settanni (University of Palermo, Italy), Teresa Zotta (University of Basilicata, Italy), Maria De Angelis (University of Bari, Italy), Pier Luigi Cardinali (University of Perugia, Italy), Cinzia Caggia (University of Catania, Italy).
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Registration Deadlines (all deadlines at 23:59 CET)
- Early Bird Registration – by July 20th, 2023
- Late Registration (bank transfer) – by August 15th, 2023
- Late Registration (credit card or PayPal) – by September 1st, 2023
Registration Fees
- SIMTREA Members (early bird): 430 €
- SIMTREA Members (late registration): 510 €
- Non-members (early bird): 460 €
- Non-members (late registration): 510 €
- Student (early bird): 300 €
- Student (late registration): 350 €
All registration fees include access to all scientific sessions, poster exhibition, welcome ceremony, coffee/tea breaks, lunch breaks.
Student fee is only applicable for PhD students, post doc with short term contract (Research fellow)
Abstract information
- Abstract submission: March 20th – May 15th, 2023
- Notification of acceptance or rejection of abstracts: by July 1st, 2023
- Notification for abstract eligibility as a presentation/short presentation: by July 1st, 2023
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Organizers
About SIMTREA: Italian Society of Agro-Food and Environmental Microbiology. SIMTREA was founded on 15 February 1994 in Milan (Italy), and is a non-profit membership organization of scientists who work in the fields of agricultural, environmental and food microbiology. The Society promotes the understanding of microbiology to different stakeholders, including policy makers, students, and teachers. Since 2011, SIMTREA organizes the biennial International Conference on Microbial Diversity aimed to promote discussion and exchange of information and experiences on the complexity and powerfulness of microbial biodiversity (https://www simtrea org/).
About University of Parma: The University of Parma (UNIPR, https://www.unipr.it/), whose origins date back to 962 AD, is one of the oldest universities in the world and one of the best-known in Italy. Today it has 1,300 employees and more than 30,000 students who work and study on three campuses. UNIPR has 98 degree courses (11 in English), 21 research doctorates, and 39 masters coordinated in 9 academic Departments. Departments in the areas of social sciences and humanities, medicine and surgery, and veterinary sciences are located in the city centre. The other Departments (agri-food areas, pharmacy, engineering and architecture, mathematical, physical, and natural sciences) are located in the Scientific and Technological Campus, an area of 77 hectares in the southern part of the city, which also holds facilities for staff and students, for sports and recreational activities. The Campus also houses the Technology Transfer Office, which plays a valuable role in the protection and commercialization of intellectual property developed by UNIPR researchers. Within the Campus, there is also an important Industrial Technopole, an infrastructure that houses innovative research centres and laboratories for industrial research and technological development. The Technopole favours the meeting between companies and researchers by reducing the distance between supply and demand for innovation. UNIPR brings together a strong interdisciplinary team involving agricultural sciences. In the Science and Technology Campus, there is also “The Food Project Area” (https://www foodproject unipr.it/). The Food Project is promoted by UNIPR to establish and strengthen the already existing skills of excellence in the field of research and teaching in the agri-food sector. The Department of Food and Drug Sciences (hiips://saf.unipr.it/it), through consistent high-quality scientific production, is placed on the national and international scene as a centre of excellence in research and training related to the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields, focusing attention on the discovery of new drugs, nutraceuticals, supplements, cosmetics, medical devices, and their correct use and access for efficient pharmaceutical assistance, as well as to the agri-food world, focusing attention on quality, safety, typicality of foods, technological innovation, design of new foods and new production processes, assessment of product sustainability.
LOCATION
Congress venue – Paganini Congressi
Paganini Congressi, events and conference factory https://www paganinicongressi it/
Via Toscana 5/a, 43121 Parma, Italy
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/xwwkAp9gJBjVDdmp7
About Parma
Parma is the 2nd largest city in the Emilia-Romagna region and is famous for its delicious food products, heart of the Italian Food Valley; Parma has obtained UNESCO’s recognition as “Creative City of Gastronomy”. Romanesque buildings, including the frescoed Parma Cathedral and the pink marble baptistry, adorn the city centre. Cradle of opera, birthplace of Giuseppe Verdi, Parma is also renown for the Teatro Regio, a 19th century opera house. Inside the imposing Palazzo della Pilotta, the Galleria Nazionale, displaying works by the 16th century painters Correggio and Canaletto, and the spectacular wooden theatre Teatro Farnese can be visited. The headquarters of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are located in Parma.
Photo credits: Città di Parma https://www flickr com/photos/comuneparma/
HOW TO REACH
Parma is located in Northern Italy, about 100 km from Milan and from Bologna, it is easily reachable by car, train or plane. If you choose to arrive:
By car: Take Motorway A1 Milan-Bologna (exit Parma) and A15 Parma-La Spezia/Genoa (exit Parma Ovest) For info, please visit: https://www.autostrade.it
By train: Most of trains travelling on the Milano-Bologna line stop in Parma, as well as those on Turin-Bologna and Genoa-Bologna lines. Rome and Florence are well connected thanks to high-speed trains in 3.30 hours (Rome) and 1.45 hour (Florence) arriving at Reggio Emilia AV Station. For info, please visit: https://www trenitalia com/ and https://www.italotreno.it
By plane: The International Airports near Parma (about one-hour distance) are Milan Malpensa Airport (180 Km), Milan Linate Airport (120 Km), Bologna Airport (90 Km), Bergamo (162 Km) and Verona (115 Km).
EuroMiRC Advanced Studies Course
EuroMiRC Advanced Studies Course first edition
Applicants can submit their proposals from February 6th to February 15th, 2023
The European Advanced Studies Course on Microbial Resource Centres (EuroMiRC) aims to create a new generation of highly qualified professionals that will work in microbial Culture Collections (CC) or in the more advanced concept of Microbial Resource Centres (mBRCs).
General objectives of EuroMiRC
EuroMiRC intends to impact beyond the borders of CC/mBRCs by covering competencies required at different phases of the CC/mBRCs lifecycle. The EuroMiRC curricula program is designed to:
- integrate scienticompetenciesnces and management skills to access, preserve and supply microbial genetic resources and other related services;
- disseminate skills on management of Microbial Resources Centres under quality control standards and in compliance with the legal frameworks;
- appraise the valorization chain of the microbial diversity long-term preservation.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- explain the role of CC/mBRCs resources as an asset for the advancement of life sciences and biotechnology;
- describe the most frequent long-term microbial preservation methods;
- formulate strategies to implement a long-term microbial preservation plan;
- design operation strategies taking into consideration the long-term impact of quality control and risk assessment at CC/mBRC;
- implement strategies on CC/mBRC to fitness for the intended purpose under different legal, standards and regulatory requirements;
- recognize the different options to apply information technologies and data management tools to CC/mBRC.
Who should apply?
The EuroMiRC vision is to develop a new generation of CC/mBRCs professionals who recognize the necessity of undergoing advanced training to acquire state-of-the-art technical and managerial skills tailored to provide and perform better CC/mBRCs services to the user communities.
EuroMiRC is primarily aimed at:
- Doctoral students (3rd cycle);
- Post-doctoral researchers;
- and any professionals that want to acquire high-level international and management-oriented competencies in Microbial Resources Centres.
Course fees for the first edition can be waived under the IS_MIRRI21 project.
How will EuroMiRC function?
The course is hosted by the University of Minho (Braga, Portugal) and will take place in blended learning (b-learning) format between March 1st and July 14th, 2023.
To access detailed information on the course program and the application process, visit the page on IS MIRRI website: https://ismirri21.mirri.org/project-platforms/euromirc_edition_1/#jet-tabs-control-1132.
ICCC15 Announcement
MUM and MIRRI will organise the next ICCC15 in Braga
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The Micoteca da Universidade do Minho (MUM), in collaboration with the Chilean Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO), the IS_MIRRI21 EU project (https://ismirri21.mirri.org/), MIRRI-ERIC (https://www.mirri.org/), the Portuguese microBiological Resource Centre Network / MIRRI-PT Node (Pt-mBRCN, https://mbrcn.pt/), the Portuguese Society of Microbiology (SPM, https://spmicrobiologia.wordpress.com/) and the Portuguese Society of Biotechnology (SPBT, https://www.spbt.pt/), is very pleased to announce that the next 15th International Conference on Culture Collections (ICCC15) will be held in Braga, from 12 to 16 June 2023. |
The ICCC is a regular conference organised by the World Federation for Culture Collections (WFCC, https://www.wfcc.info/) which represents 832 Culture Collections from 78 Countries and Regions, and collectively preserved more than 3.3 million microorganisms available for different user communities.
MUM is very proud to host this international conference with the motto “Exploiting Microbial Resources to Support Social Wellbeing” and that is for the first time organised by Portugal. MUM over the years has been involved in the Executive Board (EB) of WFCC making significant contributions to the progress of the state-of-the-art long-term management of microbial preservation. Currently, the MUM Quality Manager is a member of the EB.
As President of the Local Organised Committee, prof. Nelson Lima invites everybody to save the dates 12-16 June on his agenda and wishes that their participation and contributions will enrich the scientific programme that will be available soon.
Executive Director of MIRRI-ERIC: Vacancy
Vacancy details
Executive Director of MIRRI-ERIC
Microbial Resource Research Infrastructure – European Research Infrastructure Consortium
Application deadline: 1 February 2023
Envisaged start date: May – June 2023
Duration: Contract with indefinite duration, subject to periodic evaluations
Working hours: full time
Compensation: between 65 and 75k€ gross annual salary, subject to negotiation and according to experience.
Employer: MIRRI-ERIC
Location: MIRRI-ERIC Central Coordinating Unit University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar Pedagogic Complex 3, Floor 0
4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Responsible to: MIRRI-ERIC Assembly of Members
The Executive Director will receive a mandate from the MIRRI-ERIC Assembly of Members, in the form of a service commission contract, as foreseen in the Portuguese Labour Code (articles 161 to 164), stating his/her role, duties and compensation. The Executive Director will be supervising the MIRRI-ERIC Central Coordinating Unit (CCU) staff including Secretary, Project Manager, Access Officer, IT Officer, and other positions that may be opened in the future.
General summary
The Microbial Resource Research Infrastructure (MIRRI-ERIC) is the pan-European distributed Research Infrastructure for the preservation, systematic investigation, provision and valorisation of microbial resources and biodiversity.
Included in the ESFRI roadmap since 2010, MIRRI is constituted as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) by the Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1204 of 16 June 2022.
MIRRI-ERIC brings together the microbial domain Biological Resource Centres (mBRCs), culture collections and research institutes from its Member and Observer countries. MIRRI-ERIC serves the bioscience and the bioindustry communities by facilitating the access, through a single point, to the broadest range of high-quality microorganisms, their derivatives, associated data and services, with a special focus on the domains of Health & Food, Agro-Food, and Environment & Energy.
By serving its users, by collaborating with other research infrastructures and by working with public authorities and policy makers, MIRRI-ERIC contributes to the advancement of research and innovation in life sciences and biotechnology, as well as for a sustainable, competitive and resilient bioeconomy. MIRRI-ERIC envisions a greener, healthier and more sustainable world, based on the preservation, study and valorisation of microbial resources and biodiversity.
Presently MIRRI-ERIC has 5 Members: Belgium, France, Latvia, Portugal and Spain. During 2023, MIRRI- ERIC will start the operational phase of its Central Coordinating Unit.
The governing board of MIRRI-ERIC is the Assembly of the Members (AoM).
Role of the Executive Director
The Executive Director (ED) is the legal representative of MIRRI-ERIC.
It is expected that the ED will be an enthusiast, highly motivated and ambitious professional with the experience to achieve progress and contribute to the development of MIRRI-ERIC´s vision, strategy and plans.
Working under the direction of the AoM, the ED shall guide and supervise the operations of the Central Coordinating Unit, coordinate the National Nodes, build and strengthen strategic partnerships and liaise with internal and external stakeholders to achieve the goals of MIRRI-ERIC.
The ED shall represent and manage the research infrastructure, both operationally and administratively and ensure that MIRRI-ERIC operations comply at all times with its Statutes. The ED shall develop strong links with existing and future MIRRI-ERIC Members, and interact with their ministries, funding bodies, policy makers and other key opinion leaders, for the evolvement of MIRRI- ERIC.
Responsibilities and duties
The Executive Director shall:
- lead and administrate MIRRI-ERIC including the Central Coordinating Unit (CCU);
- appoint and dismiss staff of the CCU;
- prepare, in cooperation with the National Coordinators Forum, decisions, programs, policies and reports for adoption by the Assembly of Members;
- implement decisions, programs and policies adopted by the Assembly of Members;
- request extraordinary meetings of the Assembly of Members;
- prepare the agenda and the minutes of all Assembly of Members meetings for approval by the Assembly of Members, with the assistance of the CCU staff;
- prepare and submit the annual report and audited accounts, for approval by the Assembly of Members;
- prepare and submit to the Assembly of Members proposals for the strategy on the collaboration with other Research Infrastructures;
- present the proposals from aspiring new Members or Observers in order to recommend admission to MIRRI-ERIC;
- evaluate, together with the Advisory Board, the National Node and Partners of new Members according to the principles defined in the Partner Charter;
- chair the National Coordinators Forum;
- provide to the Assembly of Members:
- at the end of each financial year the draft Work Program including the budget for the following financial year, which shall include all expected revenues and expense items;
- at the beginning of each financial year, a statement of the audited account of the previous year.
- Organise, every 5 years, the scientific evaluation of MIRRI-ERIC activities, services and platforms;
- Promote the activities of MIRRI-ERIC and their use in research, innovative projects and higher research;
- Acquire additional third-party funds for MIRRI-ERIC, including through the application for European projects.
Required qualifications & competences
- PhD or equivalent experience in science (Life Sciences, Health and Medical Sciences, Agricultural and Food Sciences, Biotechnology, Bioengineering, Microbiology or similar areas);
- At least 3 years of experience in “Director” / “Chief Officer” roles, including responsibilities in executive affairs, strategic planning and reporting, financial administration, operations, network building, business development or staff/team management;
- Relevant knowledge on the overall functioning of microbial domain Biological Resource Centres (mBRCs), culture collections or other types of biorepositories;
- Experience on setting up and/or managing relevant collaborative projects between public (Academia) and private (Industry) organisations;
- Excellent communication and public relations skills;
- Proficiency in at least two European languages including excellent spoken and written English;
- Experience on interacting with public authorities and governmental agencies and on participating in relevant policy-making fora.
Desired competences:
- Experience, in the last 5 years, in management of multinational, distributed Research Infrastructures, including ERICs in the ESFRI Roadmap Health & Food domain;
- Relevant knowledge on the ESFRI landscape and EU framework programmes;
- Knowledge/experience on intellectual property rights and knowledge/technology transfer;
- Knowledge/experience on management systems (e.g. ISO);
- Knowledge/experience on marketing and communication affairs and resources;
- Elementary/intermediate proficiency in Portuguese and Spanish.
Expected Soft skills
- Integrity
- Effective communication
- Leadership and teamwork
Working conditions
- The general place of work will be an office environment at the University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, Braga, Portugal.
- The work will include regular travel within Europe and some travel outside Europe.
- Occasionally an extended work schedule is necessary due to travel, meeting attendance, and other time sensitive activities.
Selection procedure
- Applications should be addressed to the Chair of the MIRRI-ERIC AoM, (Eric Guittet) and submitted by email to recruitment@mirri.org as a single pdf file (max 4 MB) including CV, evidence of meeting the required and desirable competences, cover letter, and a presentation of how the candidate plan to manage and develop MIRRI-ERIC;
- The deadline for applications is 1 February 2023;
- All enquiries about this job posting should be sent to recruitment@mirri.org
Shortlisted applicants will be notified after 15 February 2023 and interviews will take place in March 2023. The envisaged start date is May – June 2023.
The initial probationary period is 180 days.
An international MIRRI-ERIC Search Committee has been established that will advise the AoM in the selection of candidates.
MIRRI-ERIC is committed to equality of opportunity and shall not discriminate against any person on the grounds of race, ethnic origin, gender, creed, disability, sexual orientation or any other ground.
Applications are encouraged from citizens of the European Union and associated countries.
Project SUS-MIRRI.IT
Project SUS-MIRRI.IT funded by Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan
Microbial biobanks in Italy launch a €17M project to strengthen their activities in line with the country’s participation in MIRRI-ERIC
Torino (Italy) and Braga (Portugal), 14 November 2022
The project “Strengthening the MIRRI Italian Research Infrastructure for Sustainable Bioscience and Bioeconomy” (SUS-MIRRI.IT) is launched today, in Torino (Italy), as part of the actions oriented towards Italy’s membership (the country is currently a prospective Member) of MIRRI-ERIC, the pan-European distributed Research Infrastructure for the preservation, systematic investigation, provision and valorisation of microbial resources and biodiversity.
The project SUS-MIRRI.IT, funded by Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan – PNRR, is granted by the European Commission’s NextGenerationEU programme with a total budget of about €17M. It is coordinated by the University of Torino and involves 14 other institutions: CNR, ENEA, OGS, the Universities of Cagliari, Genoa, Milano Bicocca, Modena and Reggio Emilia, Naples Federico II, Palermo, Perugia, Parma, Sassari, Verona and the University of Basilicata.
The general objective of SUS-MIRRI.IT is to implement the network of microbial biobanks distributed throughout Italy to increase the benefit that society can derive from the knowledge and valorisation of microbial biodiversity, which is a critical asset to face several of the greatest social, economic and environmental challenges that characterize our time. The specific goals of the project are: i) the implementation of infrastructures and quality management of microbial biobanks and related metadata; ii) the development of services and training courses for Academia and Bioindustry; iii) the creation of a national platform to promote the national catalogue of microorganisms and their metadata; and iv) provide access to available state-of-the-art technologies and services, making the infrastructure easily accessible to different types of users.
The project will be developed along 30 months, in close articulation with the work program of MIRRI-ERIC.
Giovanna Cristina Varese, the Coordinator of SUS-MIRRI.IT, said that “This project is a great chance for the Italian microbiological community. We will use the funds to raise the quality of Italian microbial biobanks to provide innovative services to the scientific and industrial community, thus fostering Bioscience and Bioeconomy in Italy and abroad”.
According to its Executive Director, Luís Soares, “MIRRI-ERIC congratulates our colleagues in Italy for having the SUS-MIRRI.IT project approved and for its launching, and we are really looking forward to welcome Italy as a full Member of MIRRI-ERIC in the very near future.”.
About MIRRI-ERIC
The Microbial Resource Research Infrastructure – European Research Infrastructure Consortium (MIRRI-ERIC) is the pan-European distributed Research Infrastructure for the preservation, systematic investigation, provision and valorisation of microbial resources and biodiversity. It brings together ~50 microbial domain Biological Resource Centres (mBRCs), culture collections and research institutes. MIRRI serves the bioscience and the bioindustry communities by facilitating the access, through a single point, to the broadest range of high-quality microorganisms, their derivatives, associated data and services, with a special focus on the domains of Health & Food, Agro-Food, and Environment & Energy.
More information and contacts:
www.mirri.org | https://www.linkedin.com/company/microbial-resource-research-infrastructure/ | info@mirri.org.
#MIRRI #microbialresources #microbialdiversity #Metadata Platform
MiBioS Workshop
Microbiodiversity: in Nuoro (Sardinia, Italy) a workshop on the project
“MiBioS – The enhancement of the Microbiodiversity of Sardinia”
A workshop on the project ‘MiBioS – The enhancement of the microbiodiversity of Sardinia’, organized by Laore Sardegna, Agris Sardegna, Sardinia Agriculture Department, and Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, will be held in Nuoro on Friday, May 20, 2022.
The Workshop will be dealing with legislation and initiative undertaken by the Sardinian Government for agricultural biodiversity’s protection and enhancement, with a specific focus on the activities carried out within the MiBioS project for the enhancement of Fruhe / Casu Axedu cheese. The itineraries linked to the “food community” and the web portal dedicated to the biodiversity of Sardinia will be other interesting issues that will be discussed.
The event will take place in presence, but you can also participate by connecting online to the link that will soon be available on the home page of the website https://www.biodiversitasardegna.it/.
You can download the flyer with the program at the link https://www.sardegnaagricoltura.it/.
MIRRI key results
22 activities successfully run in 22 months and new ones to come
MIRRI opens 2022 reporting its key results
and unveils future strategic lines
Braga (Portugal), 04 January 2022
The Microbial Resource Research Infrastructure (MIRRI) has reported today on the key implementation and operational advances it has achieved over the past two years. These results have been on the basis of MIRRI’s recent distinction with the “Landmark” status on the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) Roadmap 2021, among the leading European research infrastructures in several scientific domains, as well as sustaining MIRRI’s application to obtain the European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) status, for which a decision is expected very soon.
Read more here or download the News Release.
MIRRI-IS Pairwise alignment movie
A new instruction movie showing how to use the pairwise alignment on the MIRRI-IS website has been made available.
See also the list of available instruction movies.
MIRRI-IT and the BY-COVID project
Members of MIRRI-IT integrate the BY-COVID consortium
Braga (Portugal) and Turin (Italy), 29 October 2021
It has been officially launched a new €12 million Horizon Europe funded project, BeYond-COVID (BY-COVID), which will tackle the data challenges that can hinder effective pandemic response. The core aim of the project is to ensure that data on SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious diseases can be found and used by everyone.
BY-COVID is an interdisciplinary project that unites life science, medical, policy, social science and public health experts from across Europe. Led by ELIXIR, the project has 53 partners from 20 European countries. It will run for three years and is part of the European Commission’s HERA Incubator plan “Anticipating together the threat of COVID-19 variants”.
MIRRI, the pan-European distributed Research Infrastructure for the preservation, study, provision and valorisation of microbial resources and biodiversity, will take part in the project BY-COVID through the participation of three of the member organisations of its Italian node, MIRRI-IT, namely: Ospedale Policlinico San Martino (USMI), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe), and Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna (IZSLER).
According to its Executive Director, Luís Soares, “MIRRI has a pivotal role to play on the response to microbialrelated emergencies, since we bring together a comprehensive set of resources, data, services and expertise, coming from our many partner organisations, which provide real added-value for researchers and companies working in the field of human and human-animal infectious diseases, or in the development of new diagnostic or therapeutic solutions”.
Paolo Romano, principal investigator of MIRRI-IT in the project, adds that “The contribution provided by MIRRI partners to BY-COVID, while relatively limited in person-month effort, is very relevant for the best results of the project. The contribution of the Ospedale Policlinico San Martino will bring important knowledge and expertise in the health domain, while the other MIRRI-IT partners will provide a unique expertise in the domain of veterinary health and especially in infective diseases of zoonotic origin”.
The project BY-COVID, in a nutshell
BY-COVID will build and expand upon the successful COVID-19 Data Platform, a resource initiated in the early stages of the pandemic and led by EMBL-EBI. Since its launch, many countries have established their own national data hubs, which ensures that data produced locally can be instantaneously connected and shared with the main COVID-19 Data Portal. Rather than focus purely on providing technical solutions to the biological data, BY-COVID will work with partners such as the Versatile emerging infectious disease Observatory (VEO) and the Public Health Information Research Infrastructure (PHIRI) to incorporate data from a broader range of disciplines, including public health and social sciences.
The BY-COVID project strives to simplify data access and reuse through four key pillars:
- Mobilise data – ensuring raw sequencing data from across the world can be easily submitted to core data hubs.
- Connect data – build the technical capacity to allow linking of sequence data and metadata, expanding beyond scientific and medical data to broader metadata from, for example, public health and economics, and support integration to the COVID-19 Data Portal.
- Standardise data – provide recommended data management protocols to encourage Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) data standards and interoperability among resources.
- Expose and analyse data – support exposure and analysis of FAIR data on infectious diseases such as the regular VEO reports on mutations and variation in publicly shared SARS-CoV-2 data and the open COVID-19 Galaxy analysis platform.
For more information, visit the BY-COVID website at by-covid.org.
About MIRRI:
The Microbial Resource Research Infrastructure (MIRRI) is the pan-European distributed Research Infrastructure for the preservation, systematic investigation, provision and valorisation of microbial resources and biodiversity. It brings together 50+ microbial domain Biological Resource Centres (mBRCs), culture collections and research institutes from ten European countries and one associated country, namely: Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal (headquarters), Romania, Russia and Spain.
MIRRI serves the bioscience and the bioindustry communities by facilitating the access, through a single point, to the broadest range of high-quality microorganisms, their derivatives, associated data and services, with a special focus on the domains of Health & Food, Agro-Food, and Environment & Energy. By serving its users, by collaborating with other research infrastructures and by working with public authorities and policy makers, MIRRI contributes to the advancement of research and innovation in life sciences and biotechnology, as well as for a sustainable, competitive and resilient bioeconomy.
More information and contacts: mirri.org | linkedin.com/company/microbial-resource-researchinfrastructure/ | info@mirri.org.
About MIRRI-IT:
The Joint Research Unit MIRRI-IT is aimed at the implementation of the Italian node of MIRRI and at the development of the Italian network of collections of microbial resources. Its mission is to overcome fragmentation in availability of resources and services, enhancing the quality management system of the collections, while focusing on needs and challenges of the stakeholders interested in the biotechnological transfer of these resources. MIRRI-IT currently incudes five partners and 18 associated partners from Universities, Public Research Institutes and Hospitals. Partners are active in many domains of interest for microbial resources, including food and nutrition, agriculture, forestry and environment, as well as human and animal health.
For more information see mirri-it.it or get in touch by email with info@mirri-it.it.
BY-COVID is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 101046203.
Supporting biodiversity and ecosystem protection across land and sea – Open Call
2021-2022 Joint Call
“Supporting the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems
across land and sea”
CALL PRIORITIES
THEME 1: Knowledge for identifying priority conservation areas, establishing effective and resilient ecological networks, enhancing species-based protection and preserving genetic diversity
THEME 2: Multiple benefits and costs of biodiversity and ecosystem protection: synergies and trade-offs
THEME 3: Effective management and equitable governance to deliver bold conservation outcome
The call covers all environments, i.e. terrestrial, freshwater and marine. It also covers research on biodiversity conservation in the Outermost Regions (ORs) and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) of the EU.
CALL SCHEDULE
A two-step process will apply, with a mandatory submission of pre-proposals at the first step and submission of full proposals at the second step.
- Deadline for pre-proposals submission (mandatory): Tuesday 30 November 2021, 15:00 CET (local time in Brussels)
- Deadline for full-proposals submission: Thursday 14 April 2022, 15:00 CEST (local time in Brussels)
FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information, see the Open Call web site at https://www.biodiversa.org/1772
For general information on the call, contact the Call Secretariat: biodiversa.cs@agencerecherche.fr (Juliette Bettus, Céline Billière and Sophie Germann)