Objective
Food security is a socioeconomical concept that involves access to food that meets people's dietary needs and preferences. Current and future food security is threatened by more frequent and more widespread drought events, leading to reduction in crop yields. A related issue of global importance is micronutrient deficiency. Zinc, a micronutrient involved in all major physiological processes, has outstanding potential to improve crop yields, as well as animal and human health. One long-term and cost-effective approach to overcome zinc deficiency in humans involves biofortification - increasing micronutrients in staple crops.
In this context, the molecular processes underlying (a) drought resistance, and (b) micronutrients accumulation in edible parts of crop plants need to be elucidated.
One protein family – the plant metallothioneins (MTs) – shows tremendous promise in enhancing drought tolerance, zinc accumulation, and bioavailability.
This project aims to analyse the complement of MTs from sorghum, a cereal plant with unusual drought- and heat-resistance that is a staple crop for 500 Million people. Sorghum is predicted to become more prevalent in future European diets.
In this project, the questions whether and which MT may be involved in (a) zinc accumulation in grains, (b) discrimination between essential zinc and toxic cadmium, and (c) drought stress tolerance, will be addressed. A unique cross-disciplinary approach spanning in-planta analysis to protein biophysics will furnish unprecedented insight into crucial aspects of plant zinc homeostasis and drought tolerance. Outcomes will impact European scientific excellence by empowering a female scientist from Central Europe, and by inspiring further work in plant science. Future translation of the fundamental insights generated will Iead to applications in agriculture (e.g. novel biofortification strategies for cereals), and enhance the European public’s awareness of the importance of zinc for human health.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry bioinorganic chemistry
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry transition metals
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins protein folding
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- natural sciences biological sciences botany
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
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.
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-EF-ST - Standard EF
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2015
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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.
CV4 8UW COVENTRY
United Kingdom
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.