MALDIBANK 1st General Assembly Strengthens Collaboration and Sets the Course for Future Progress

In May 2026, partners of the MALDIBANK project gathered in Braga (Portugal) for the project's first General Assembly. Bringing together representatives from across the consortium, the three-day meeting provided an important opportunity to review progress, strengthen collaboration across Work Packages, and align on priorities for the next phase of project implementation.

As coordinator of this Horizon Europe project, MIRRI-ERIC welcomed partners to the retreat-style meeting, emphasising the importance of close collaboration in delivering MALDIBANK's ambitious vision: establishing a sustainable, FAIR, and interoperable infrastructure for MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry data and services that will support microbial identification and characterisation across multiple application domains.

 

Strengthening Collaboration Across the Consortium

A key focus of the first day was exploring interdependencies among Work Packages. Through structured group exercises and open discussion, consortium members examined how activities across the project are interconnected, identifying opportunities to improve communication channels, align workflows, and strengthen coordination between scientific, technical, training, dissemination, and sustainability activities.

Partners explored the practical applications of MALDIBANK technologies and resources across diverse sectors, including antimicrobial resistance, food safety, environmental monitoring, and microbial biodiversity research.

Future training activities were discussed, including online and in-person formats, the development of educational materials, and the implementation of a train-the-trainer approach to support knowledge transfer across the MALDIBANK network.

 

Building a Sustainable Future for MALDIBANK

Sustainability and stakeholder engagement featured prominently throughout the Assembly. A dedicated session on the MALDIBANK Business Plan explored the project's value proposition and future service portfolio. Consortium members examined how MALDIBANK can support a broad range of user communities, including researchers, culture collections, industry, clinical laboratories, veterinary services, and environmental professionals.

The final day focused on communication and dissemination activities, providing an opportunity to review current approaches and identify ways to further enhance the visibility and impact of project results. Through collaborative discussion, partners agreed on actions that will help ensure MALDIBANK's achievements are effectively communicated to scientific, industrial, and broader stakeholder communities.

 

Overview of a successful gathering

The strong engagement and constructive exchanges throughout the Assembly demonstrated the strength of the MALDIBANK consortium and the value of bringing partners together in person.

MIRRI-ERIC extends its sincere thanks to all consortium partners for their active participation and contributions, and looks forward to building on the momentum generated during this successful gathering.