Under the Microscope: Microbes-4-Climate TNA Call Funds 23 Projects from 20 Countries

The first Transnational Access (TNA) call of the Microbes-4-Climate (M4C) has demonstrated strong global interest in research infrastructures supporting climate-related science. The call attracted 26 applications from researchers in 20 countries, with 23 projects ultimately granted access to specialised services across the consortium.

In total, 40 users registered on the access platform, and 24 proposals were considered eligible and feasible for evaluation. Following a competitive assessment process, only one proposal was not funded, reflecting a very high success rate for the first call.

Applicants represented a broad geographical distribution, including 16 European Union (EU) and 8 non-EU countries, highlighting the international dimension of the programme and its attractiveness to researchers working on climate change challenges worldwide.

 

Access to specialised services for climate-focused research

Selected projects will benefit from access to a broad portfolio of research services offered by the Microbes-4-Climate consortium. In total, the programme provides 144 services across nine categories, covering areas such as microbial resources, plant sciences, agriculture, forestry, biodiversity, environmental monitoring, climate research and data science.

Through these services, researchers can carry out experiments, analyses and integrated workflows using facilities, expertise and data resources distributed across the European research infrastructure landscape.

The funded projects address a range of topics related to climate change risks for terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems, including agricultural and agroforestry systems. Research themes include ecosystem monitoring, soil and plant health, microbial solutions for sustainable agriculture, and data-driven approaches to environmental research.

 

What is the Microbes-4-Climate TNA programme?

The Transnational Access (TNA) programme is a central component of the Microbes-4-Climate initiative, which is coordinated by MIRRI-ERIC and comprises the participation of four other Research Infrastructures (RIs), AnaEE-ERIC, LifeWatch ERIC, EMPHASIS, and ELIXIR.

TNA calls provide open and competitive funded access for researchers to specialised facilities, expertise and services within the project’s partner infrastructures. By enabling both remote and on-site access, the programme supports collaborative research and facilitates the use of advanced scientific infrastructures that may not be available in researchers' home institutions.

The evaluation of applications is based on three main criteria: Scientific quality (40%), Implementation feasibility (30%), and Expected outputs and impact (30%).

The objective is to provide simplified and harmonised access to integrated services that help researchers address pressing challenges related to climate change, biodiversity loss and sustainable ecosystem management.

 

Next opportunities for researchers

The second Microbes-4-Climate TNA call is currently closing, continuing the programme's effort to support innovative research projects.

A third call is expected to open before the end of 2026, offering new opportunities for scientists worldwide to access the Microbes-4-Climate service portfolio and collaborate with leading European research infrastructures working on climate and ecosystem science.