About the CoE Microplanet
Our Funding
The Cluster of Excellence “Microbiomes Drive Planetary Health” (CoE Microplanet) is funded by the excellence initiative excellent=austria of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research.
Clusters of Excellence enable groups of scientists at Austrian research institutions to work together to achieve outstanding research results in a scientific, artistic, or interdisciplinary field and to anchor this field of research in Austria at a top international level.
Clusters of excellence provide outstanding support for young researchers and research-oriented education to create the best possible conditions for future generations of researchers to be internationally competitive. They are committed to equal opportunities and diversity. They also have an impact beyond the boundaries of science and are active in knowledge and technology transfer through cooperation with social and economic partners.
The first 5-year period of funding for “Microbiomes Drive Planetary Health” began in October 2023.
Our Mission
Our Cluster of Excellence (CoE) aims to revolutionize microbiome research by bridging the gap between environmental and medical microbiome research to advance planetary health. We seek to achieve a deep, causal understanding of how microbiomes function and respond to anthropogenic changes, and to harness their potential to create sustainable solutions for global challenges.
The CoE Microplanet will integrate and transform two of the most important research fields of the 21st century: Microbiome Research and Planetary Health
Our Management
In the CoE Microplanet, we underpin excellent research with a slim management structure to ensure effective and efficient resource use.
The CoE’s management facilitates the implementation of the scientific objectives, communicates transparently, flexibly, and responsively, manages the day-to-day operations of the large consortium, and provides an optimal and fair working environment for all CoE members.
The CoE Microplanet comprises the CoE Board of Directors, a Scientific Advisory Board, and the CoE Management Office.
Coe management →
Our Key Researchers
In the CoE Microplanet, we have assembled a highly interdisciplinary research team of 32 accomplished scientists from eight leading research institutions in Austria.
Additionally, we hired 60+ postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, and technicians, each member contributing unique knowledge and skills to our interdisciplinary research.
Our common goal is to understand how microbes underpin planetary health and to unlock their potential to improve it.
Our research institutions
The CoE Microplanet brings together eight leading research institutions in Austria with one joint vision: to unlock the microbiome’s potential for planetary health. We will use our multidisciplinary background in environmental, medical, and methodological microbiome research to move beyond the traditional boundaries and identify unifying principles of how microbiomes are structured and how they function in complex environments.
Our Research
The overall scientific goal of the Cluster of Excellence ‘Microbiomes Drive Planetary Health’ is an in-depth understanding of the molecular, physiological, and ecological mechanisms that control microbiome composition and function across a broad array of highly relevant microbial ecosystems from the human gut to soils and the deep sea, which will link microbes to environmental and human health, i.e., to planetary health.
To achieve this goal, we have identified the following thematic focus areas and their associated projects:
- Microbiome Interactions
- Project 1: Interactions in Underexplored Ecosystems
- Project 2: Interdomain Interactions and Interaction Mechanisms
- Microbiome Perturbations
- Microbiome Monitoring and Interventions
- Project 5: Microbiome Monitoring and Interventions for Human Health
- Project 6: Environmental Interventions
- Project 7: Fundamental Principles of Microbiome Dynamics
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