MIRRI-ERIC Participates in Spanish Node Event on Microbial Culture Collections

On 26 February 2026, the MIRRI-ERIC took part in the international workshop "From Microbial Diversity to Innovation: The Role of Culture Collections", hosted by the Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos (IATA-CSIC) in Valencia. The event was co-organised by the Spanish Node of MIRRI-ERIC, MIRRI-ES, within the framework of IATA-CSIC’s Severo Ochoa Excellence Program.

The workshop brought together more than one hundred participants, including researchers, managers of scientific infrastructures, and representatives from academia and industry. Discussions focused on the strategic importance of microbial culture collections and biobanks as key scientific infrastructures supporting research, innovation, and sustainability.

Ana Portugal Melo, Executive Director of MIRRI-ERIC, represented the research infrastructure presenting "MIRRI-ERIC: Unleashing the Power of Microbial Resources". Her talk highlighted the role of MIRRI-ERIC in strengthening access to high-quality microbial resources and associated data, as well as fostering collaboration across European microbial resource centres. The presentation also emphasized how coordinated infrastructures can accelerate innovation in areas such as biotechnology, food systems, health, and their relevance to the sustainability and growth of local networks, like MIRRI-ES.

The event addressed several key topics, including current challenges in the preservation and management of microbial collections, the biotechnological potential of yeast with industrial applications, and models for the organisation and coordination of biobanks across Europe. Speakers also presented national initiatives and projects led by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) aimed at enhancing the value and use of microbial resources through integrative approaches.

The workshop opened with institutional remarks from leaders of IATA-CSIC and the Spanish scientific community, who underscored the institute's long-standing role in developing, preserving, and transferring reference microbial resources. Throughout the day, national and international experts explored how microbial resource centres can respond to emerging global challenges while strengthening collaboration through national and European research infrastructures.

By bringing together diverse stakeholders, the event served as an important platform for knowledge exchange, strategic discussion, and the development of new international collaborations around the scientific and technological value of microbial diversity.

MIRRI-ERIC's participation highlighted the continued commitment of the infrastructure to support and connect National Nodes such as MIRRI-ES, reinforcing the European ecosystem for microbial resource management and innovation.