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Life at its Extremes: Biodiversity and Activity of Microorganisms in deep Permafrost

Objective

BioFrost will offer the unique opportunity to descend to the frozen depths of Earth, into permafrost, and study the microbial life as it carries on in an unhospitable, (almost-)inhabitable, environment where temperatures are far below zero and no oxygen is available. Supported by a highly sensitive experimental approach based on the use of stable isotope probing combined with Next Generation Sequencing, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and nanoSIMS, this research will trace active microorganisms in deep permafrost and will reveal their abundances and taxonomic identities together with the biologically-induced chemical processes that modify the surrounding environment and make it ´more habitable´. This study will also address one of the most significant new concepts of modern microbiology, the heterogeneity of single microbial cells, and will assess the role of it in the context of the ecosystem´s overall functioning.
This project is for microbiologists and environmental scientists, who want to expand their knowledge on microbial biodiversity and activity in the coldest regions of Earth. It is also for space and planetary scientists, who are preparing for upcoming missions to Mars´ permafrost in search of signatures of life. It is for environmental policy makers to promote consciousness of a hidden subsurface ecosystem that can impact critically on us at the surface. Most of all, I hope this Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSC) project will meet anyone curious about life at its extremes.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.

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Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2014

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Coordinator

GFZ HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR GEOFORSCHUNG
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 171 460,80
Address
TELEGRAFENBERG
14473 POTSDAM
Germany

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Region
Brandenburg Brandenburg Potsdam
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 171 460,80
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