MIRRI-ERIC to Coordinate New Horizon Europe Project MIRRI-FIRM

MIRRI-FIRM (Making MIRRI FAIR for Globally Impactful Research) is a new Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (Grant Agreement No. 101292674) that aims to consolidate and expand MIRRI-ERIC, strengthening its position as Europe's leading Research Infrastructure for microbial biodiversity. Coordinated by MIRRI-ERIC over the next 48 months, starting in October 2026, the project is funded under the call "HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-03: Consolidation of the Research Infrastructure landscape" and will reinforce the infrastructure's capacity to support research and innovation by improving the accessibility, quality and long-term sustainability of microbial resources and their associated data across Europe.

Microorganisms play a fundamental role in addressing global challenges, including climate change, food security and safety, infectious disease surveillance, antimicrobial resistance and environmental pollution. By modernising and further integrating Europe's microbial resource landscape, MIRRI-FIRM will strengthen the infrastructure needed to accelerate scientific discovery and innovation in these priority areas.

 

Building the next steps for MIRRI-ERIC

The project will strengthen the governance and operational capacity of MIRRI-ERIC's Central Coordinating Unit, National Nodes and partners. It will upgrade and turn FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) the MIRRI catalogue, harmonise quality management practices, promote environmentally responsible operations, and equip staff with advanced managerial and technical skills. At the same time, MIRRI-FIRM will expand access to MIRRI-ERIC services, deepen collaboration with industry and SMEs, and increase the infrastructure's socioeconomic impact.

At the end of the MIRRI-FIRM project, the potential microbial resources and service users will benefit from an easier and more accessible journey to access MIRRI-ERIC.

Strategic collaboration with other European and international research infrastructures will further improve interoperability with leading microbial repositories and support integration with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) Federation.

 

13 participating countries and worldwide network

The consortium brings together 25 beneficiary organisations from 13 European countries. The project is coordinated by MIRRI-ERIC and includes partners from the current MIRRI-ERIC Member States, being Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Spain, and Romania. It also brings together organisations from prospective Member States, such as Croatia, the Netherlands, Poland, and Slovakia, reinforcing MIRRI-ERIC's ambition to broaden its European footprint and strengthen collaboration across the continent.

Among the beneficiary participants, also takes part Integrated Carbon Observation System European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ICOS-ERIC), based in Finland, also takes part, highlighting the importance and advantage of cooperation between Research Infrastructures.

The network envisaged by MIRRI-FIRM goes beyond Europe. The project foresees activities in which worldwide institutions will take part, such as CCMM/CNRST from Morocco, USCCN and Phytobiomes Alliance from the United States of America, and the Network of Biological Collections of Paraná-Taxonline from Brazil, confirming the global reach of MIRRI-FIRM.

Through MIRRI-FIRM, MIRRI-ERIC will further strengthen Europe's capacity to provide FAIR, high-quality microbial resources and services that enable scientific excellence and support evidence-based solutions for a more sustainable future. The project is fully aligned with key European priorities, including the One Health approach, the European Green Deal and the Digital Europe Agenda, while contributing to the ambition of making Europe the world's most attractive destination for life sciences research and innovation by 2030.