Joining forces to exploit the mycobiota of the world for beneficial metabolites and potential biocontrol agents, using -OMICS techniques

The current proposal constitutes a follow-up application for the ongoing Mycobiomics project (H2020-MSCA-RISE 01008129; https:// mycobiomics.eu/) that had already brought together some of the most excellent mycologists in Europe, Asia and Africa, who are active in the highly interdisciplinary field of mycology. Our research portfolio already covered taxonomy, ecology, natural products “myco”-chemistry and drug discovery, as well as the search for new fungal biocontrol candidates. The focus, however, was set on the discovery of novel anti-infectives to combat AMR. Over 50 young scientists have profited from their participation in this interdisciplinary R&I action, and the beneficiaries have formed a cordial, sustainable network. Extract libraries have been built up and the new fungal strains under examination have been preserved permanently.Since Mycobiomics has turned out to be extremely successful, we aim at extending the staff exchange to more mycological Centers of Excellence in Europe. The new partners from Denmark, France and the UK are bringing in complementary expertise in fields like bioeconomy and food chemistry. Aside from the above-mentioned topics, the new research areas encompass research on organismic interactions between fungi and their associated organisms with a special focus on secondary metabolism. We also extend our research network to Latin America by integrating new beneficiaries from Colombia and Brazil. We are very confident that our proposal can provide a valuable contribution to the global threats that are caused by climate change, and finally make the EU and our international partners more compatible for various other important tasks that need to be tackled in the future.