MIRRI-ERIC engages with the global microbial community at ECCO XLIII

The last annual meeting of ECCO (European Culture Collections’ Organisation) was a remarkable opportunity for MIRRI-ERIC to engage with a vibrant community of professionals from microbial biological resource centres. Represented by Adil Ennaji from BELSPO, MIRRI-ERIC actively participated in discussions and exchanges throughout the event.

This year’s theme, "Securing and exploring microbial biodiversity for a sustainable and healthy future", made it particularly important for MIRRI-ERIC to be present. As an organisation committed to bringing together microbial expertise across Europe to address global challenges, MIRRI-ERIC found ECCO XLIII an outstanding occasion to strengthen ties with current partners and explore potential collaborations with new ones, both in academia and industry.

During the meeting, Adil Ennaji had the opportunity to exchange with colleagues from Morocco, the United Kingdom, the United States, and many other countries, reflecting the truly international reach of ECCO. The event’s high-level lectures proved especially insightful, particularly those addressing legal and regulatory challenges for culture collections, as well as sessions focusing on microbial communities, networks, and databases.

 

A focus on MIRRI-ERIC

Representing MIRRI-ERIC, Adil Ennaji shared insights on the organisation’s mission to integrate microbial resources and services across Europe, emphasising the importance of coordinated actions in research, innovation, and policy. The presentation delivered was titled "MIRRI-ERIC: A Deep Dive into the Institution".

His participation helped raise awareness about MIRRI-ERIC’s strategic initiatives and its commitment to supporting open, sustainable, and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) access to microbial data and materials. This engagement reinforced MIRRI-ERIC’s position as a key player in fostering collaboration among culture collections and promoting responsible use of microbial biodiversity.

Participation in ECCO XLIII reaffirmed MIRRI-ERIC’s dedication to promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the sustainable use of microbial resources.