International Microorganism Day 2025: Celebrating the Power of Microbes

On September 17, scientists, educators and enthusiasts around the world celebrate International Microorganism Day, an annual occasion dedicated to raising awareness of the crucial roles microorganisms play in ecosystems, human health, agriculture, industry, energy, and environmental sustainability. MIRRI-ERIC took part in the celebration, participating, on this day, in ECCO XLIII Meeting and with the active engagement of the Microbial Strain Collection of Latvia (MSCL), one of our partners.

Happening between 15 and 17 of September, MIRRI-ERIC was highlighted in the 43rd annual meeting of the European Culture Collections’ Organisation (ECCO). Adil Ennaji, from our partner BELSPO, was MIRRI-ERIC’s representative, responsible for deliver a persentation that showed the history and the future of our Consortium.

Among many organisations contributing to the celebration of IMD 2025, MIRRI-ERIC’s partner Microbial Strain Collection of Latvia (MSCL), from the Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences of the University of Latvia, formally integrated the programme with an all-day event. Alongside a scavenger hunt around the academic center, participants could also enjoy informal informational banners presentations prepared by biology students and graduates specializing in microbiology.

International Microorganism Day was launched in 2017 and, since 2020, is led by the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS). The date—17 September—was chosen because it marks a historic milestone in microbiology: on 17 September 1683, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek sent a letter to the Royal Society of London with the first description of a single-celled organism (in dental plaque). His observations, using self-made microscopes, are considered among the first records of microorganisms.

IMD aims to do more than commemorate that early discovery. Its mission is to bring microbiology to the general public, foster curiosity, and to spotlight microorganisms not just as pathogens, but as benefactors of human society and the planet—for example through their roles in nutrient cycles, biotechnology, food science, medicine, and environmental processes. Events include open labs, workshops, educational outreach, art contests, social media campaigns, and public talks.

Visit of MIRRI-ERIC Director to the University of Latvia Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences

On 3 June 2025, MIRRI-ERIC Director PhD Ana Portugal Melo visited the Latvian National Node of MIRRI-ERIC, where she met with representatives of the Node’s partner institutions: the Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences at the University of Latvia, the Latvian State Forest Research Institute Silava, and the prospective partner Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment – BIOR.

At Silava, the Director was welcomed by Professor Dārta Kļaviņa, Head of the Microbial Collection, expert Natalija Burneviča, and Head of the Molecular Laboratory Professor Dainis Rungis. The team presented the institute’s research directions and ongoing projects.

The visit continued at BIOR, where Laura Alksne, Head of the Microbial Resource Collection, introduced the work of the collection. Ana Portugal Melo also had the opportunity to meet BIOR’s Director, Professor Olga Valciņa, and to hear from PhD Juris Kibilds about the institute’s molecular research activities.

Visit to the University of Latvia

Later, the Director visited the Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences at the University of Latvia, where she was introduced to the faculty’s diverse research areas. During her visit, she toured several research laboratories: in personalised medicine, cancer research, rare diseases, and the use of aptamers in diagnostic tool development; the Cell and Tissue Test Systems Laboratory; and the Natural Products Research Laboratory.

In a brief meeting with researchers from the Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology — PhD Reinis Rutkis, Professor Jānis Liepiņš, and PhD Olga Mutere — Ana Portugal Melo was introduced to the institute’s key research areas, including environmental remediation, secondary metabolite production by microorganisms, and yeast biology.

The visit concluded with a meeting with the faculty leadership: Dean Professor Kristaps Jaudzems and Vice-Dean for Research Professor Vita Rovīte. The discussion focused on the faculty’s development plans related to microbial collections and explored future opportunities for collaboration with MIRRI-ERIC.

Achievements, impact and goals: MIRRI-ERIC presents the 2024 Annual Report

MIRRI-ERIC’s Annual Report for 2024 is out now and celebrates a year marked by growth, innovation, and significant achievements in the mission to support and empower the microbial research community across Europe and beyond.

The document is published at the bottom of the Legal & Regulatory page on MIRRI-ERIC’s website, and you can find there a closer look at the main achievements of the year, as well as numbers that picture the work and growth of MIRRI-ERIC.

The past year marked the first full operational year. Despite the challenges, MIRRI-ERIC has laid solid foundations for a resilient, impactful, and inclusive Research Infrastructure. From consolidating governance and operations to strengthening service provision capacity, the consortium has made remarkable progress.

MIRRI-ERIC is now more than a research infrastructure. It is a collective endeavour to valorise microbial biodiversity for the benefit of science, industry, and society at large.

The European projects MICROBES4CLIMATE and MALDIBANK, coordinated by MIRRI-ERIC, are two marks that stand as tangible symbols of the strategic positioning within the Horizon Europe framework. Those reflect a capacity to coordinate complex, cross-border collaborations that deliver impactful results for both research and society.

The official accession of Greece as a full member and Romania as an Observer of MIRRI-ERIC were also major milestones for the year 2024. Both affirm the growing recognition of our relevance in the European research ecosystem.

The Annual Report, elaborated through a straight collaboration between the Central Coordinating Unit (CCU) and the National Nodes, also looks ahead to 2025. The priorities are clear: to expand membership, formalise and empower National Nodes, operationalise the service portfolio, and secure the expertise necessary.

The Annual Report for 2024 was formally approved by the General Assembly of MIRRI-ERIC under Article 17 of Council Regulation (EC) No 723/2009 of 25 June 2009.

Bilateral meeting joins MIRRI-ERIC and Estonian Microbial Culture Collections

The Latvian Node of MIRRI-ERIC organised a bilateral meeting with the Estonian Microbial Culture Collections, aiming at exchanging experiences and working on future synergies between the parties.

Originally established by five member states, MIRRI-ERIC has since grown into a consortium of seven member states and one observer country. As a relatively young research infrastructure consortium, MIRRI-ERIC prioritises widening participation. To date, Eastern and Northern Europe remain underrepresented within the consortium, with Latvia — one of its founding members — being the primary representative from the region.

To strengthen regional collaboration and raise awareness among microbial culture collections about the benefits of joining MIRRI-ERIC, a bilateral meeting between MIRRI-ERIC and Estonia was held in Riga, Latvia, on 4 June 2025. Three Estonian Microbial Resource Centres (mBRCs) were present in Riga to join an exchange session with MIRRI-ERIC National Coordinators Forum representatives.

Participation of a Ministry of the Republic of Latvia

The event was opened by PhD Edvards Francis Kuks, Head of the RIS3 Unit at the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia. He highlighted the critical role of microbial resources in scientific advancement and innovation, and commended MIRRI-ERIC’s work in preserving and making these resources accessible.

The meeting continued with presentations from MIRRI-ERIC representatives. Professor Cristina Varese, National Coordinator of the Italian Node, shared insights from Italy’s experience of joining MIRRI-ERIC. Professor Nelson Lima, Coordinator of the Portuguese Node, provided a historical overview of MIRRI-ERIC’s establishment and its future development priorities. Latvia’s National Node Coordinator, Māris Seņkovs, also shared the Latvian perspective on participation in the consortium.

In the second part of the meeting, representatives of Estonian microbial culture collections introduced their work. PhD Triin Varvas presented the Tartu Fungal Culture Collection, which includes several sub-collections and holds over 3,500 fungal and more than 500 bacterial strains, mainly environmental isolates. This resource is jointly managed by institutions such as the University of Tartu Natural History Museum and the Estonian University of Life Sciences.

Several Estonian resources

Another Estonian collection, the Human Microbiota Biobank, was represented by Professor Reet Mändar, Professor Tiiu Roop, and PhD Jelena Štšepetova from the Department of Microbiology at the University of Tartu’s Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine. This unique biobank houses over 20,000 human-derived microbial strains and more than 3,000 microbiota samples.

Marliin Koolmeister introduced a microbial resource collection held by the Public Health Laboratory of the Estonian Health Board, which includes clinically significant strains isolated from human samples. The event concluded with a public lecture by Professor Dārta Kļaviņa, leading researcher at the Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”, a partner of the Latvian National Node. She presented a unique collection of wood pathogens and their antagonists, maintained at Silava.

Overall, the meeting not only showcased the work of microbial collections in MIRRI-ERIC member countries and Estonia but also provided a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and outlined opportunities for future collaboration.

MIRRI-ERIC present at the 3rd ESFRI Stakeholder Forum Meetup

Under the thematic “Sustainability of the Research Infrastructure ecosystem”, the 3rd ESFRI Stakeholder Forum Meetup happened last week, between June 10 and 11, and MIRRI-ERIC was present and represented.

The event took place in Kraków, Poland, during the Polish presidency of the Council, and MIRRI-ERIC was represented there by the Chief of Operations Officer, Ashley Novais. Were present at the venue stakeholders from across Europe to exchange ideas, foster collaboration, and advance long-term strategies for research infrastructures.

The core focus of the forum was the long-term sustainability of Research Infrastructures (RIs), with particular attention to the challenges of aligning funding sources across regional, national, structural, and EU levels, as well as enhancing engagement with industry. Stakeholders emphasised that fragmented or poorly coordinated funding streams often hinder the strategic planning and operational stability of RIs.

The doors opened up with ESFRI Chair José Luis Martínez Peña welcoming the diverse community of RI stakeholders and inviting everyone to engage in meaningful discussions on long-term sustainability, funding synergies, and collaboration across sectors. Discussions addressed the practical barriers to securing sustained investment, including the need to better leverage synergies between public funding and industry collaboration, and to create integrated approaches that drive both innovation and resilience in the RI ecosystem.

MIRRI-ERIC prepared a video summarising its work, which was shown in a section designed to inform stakeholders about the current initiatives. Briefly, MIRRI-ERIC will present the same video publicly.

The ESFRI Stakeholder Forum is a key platform to interact with European RI stakeholders, raise awareness across the R&I ecosystem, and facilitate cooperation and mutual learning. The Meetup of the Forum is a regular event that gathers diverse participants, including research infrastructures, policymakers, research organisations, and higher education institutions.

Braga (Portugal), 22 of May 2025 – Newly appointed Communication and Impact Officer of MIRRI-ERIC   

We are pleased to welcome Sara Gonçalves as our new Communication and Impact Officer.  After five years in journalism, always directed to life sciences themes, Sara accepts now a new challenge on the field of science communication. Her contribution will strengthen MIRRI-ERIC’s commitment to disseminate awareness around the importance of microbial resources for the bioscience and bioindustry communities.

With background in a communication field and always attentive to life sciences issues, Sara will play a key role in optimizing MIRRI-ERIC’s both internal and external communication, aiming to strengthen the connection between all stakeholders.

As MIRRI-ERIC’s new Communication and Impact Officer, Sara brings expertise in social sciences and new insights on how research infrastructures should communicate to different public. All this work as part of the Communication and Impact Office will be held within the seamless operation of MIRRI-ERIC’s Central Coordinating Unit, located at University of Minho.

We are confident that Sara’s skills in communication and measurement of social and economic impacts will greatly support MIRRI-ERIC’s mission of advancing research and collaboration in Europe, disseminating our accessible resources, data, and services. Welcome aboard, Sara!

Braga (Portugal), 09 of May 2025 – Upcoming Event: MALDIBANK Project Kick-Off Meeting

MIRRI is pleased to announce the official kick-off meeting of the MALDIBANK EU Project, which will take place from 13 to 15 May 2025 in Braga, Portugal.

As the coordinator of this ambitious initiative, MIRRI will host the consortium partners to lay the groundwork for MALDIBANK — a new European project dedicated to designing and implementing an open-access microbial databank.

The MALDIBANK databank will serve as a crucial resource for the categorisation and characterisation of microbial strains, supporting scientific work across fields such as ecosystem research, environmental monitoring, and public health.

This kick-off meeting will focus on:

• Defining the project’s strategic roadmap;

• Aligning methodologies for microbial data collection and sharing;

• Establishing principles for data openness, interoperability, and FAIR practices.

For more information, please consult the MALDIBANK Press Release_Final.

Braga (Portugal), 11 of April 2025 – MIRRI-ERIC Showcases Microbial Innovation at EU-LAC ResInfra Plus Study Visit

 This week, MIRRI-ERIC was honoured to contribute to the Study Visit organised in the framework of the @EU-LAC ResInfra Plus project, hosted by UVEG-CECT in Valencia.

As part of this international initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation between research infrastructures in Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean, Ana Portugal Melo, Executive Director of MIRRI-ERIC, has presented today MIRRI’s mission and activities as a European hub for microbial, genetic, and data resources.

Her presentation also highlights the MICROBES-4-CLIMATE project, coordinated by MIRRI-ERIC, which harnesses microbial biodiversity to address climate change challenges across agricultural and forestry ecosystems. 🌱🌍

We thank the organisers and participants for the inspiring discussions and for fostering a shared vision of global scientific collaboration.

Braga (Portugal), 31 of March 2025 – MICROBES-4-CLIMATE project launches its 1st Transnational Access (TNA) Open Call

MIRRI-ERIC, the coordinator of the MICROBES-4-CLIMATE project, is pleased to announce the launch of the first Transnational Access (TNA) Open Call. Open from March 31st to June 30th, 2025, this call will provide researchers across Europe with access to cutting-edge Research Infrastructures (RIs) to advance innovation in microbial and environmental sciences.

The MICROBES-4-CLIMATE TNA Programme aims to foster collaboration and accelerate scientific progress by offering researchers access to state-of-the-art infrastructures, data, and expertise. Users from academia, non-profits, and industry can apply.

Researchers from academia, non-profits, and industry are encouraged to participate, particularly those working at the intersection of microbial sciences and environmental sustainability. The programme’s goal is to bridge gaps in scientific research by facilitating access to advanced resources and promoting cross-border collaborations.

By participating in the TNA Programme, users can leverage cutting-edge infrastructures, obtain scientific and technical support, and develop innovative projects addressing global challenges related to microbes and climate change.

For more information, including eligibility criteria and application guidelines, please here.

Braga (Portugal), 31 of March 2025 – MIRRI-ERIC is hiring a Communication and Impact Officer

The Microbial Resource Research Infrastructure – European Research Infrastructure Consortium (MIRRI-ERIC) is seeking a Communication and Impact Officer  (CIO) to lead the communication and dissemination activities of our pan-European research infrastructure. The CIO will work closely with the Executive Director and other senior executives to enhance the organisation’s visibility, engage with diverse stakeholders and monitor the scientific and societal impact of MIRRI-ERIC’s work.

MIRRI-ERIC is a pan-European distributed research infrastructure dedicated to the preservation, investigation, and valorisation of microbial resources and biodiversity. By bringing together the largest collections of microbial resources in Europe, MIRRI-ERIC supports researchers, institutions, and industries in addressing global challenges in health, agriculture, food security, and environmental sustainability.

We are a motivated and collaborative team working at the forefront of microbial research, united by the ambition to amplify the value and visibility of one of Europe’s most extensive collections of microbial resources. MIRRI-ERIC plays a crucial role in supporting researchers and innovators in unlocking the potential of microbes to address global challenges in health, food systems, and the environment.

By joining us, you will help shape how MIRRI-ERIC communicates its impact to the world. Together, we can elevate the voice of microbial science, foster public engagement and contribute to a more informed, healthier, and sustainable future for all.

The full call and application details are available here.