Project description
Expanding our knowledge on Earth’s microbial diversity
Microbes are very small living things that cannot be seen with the naked eye. They are found all around us and play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of nutrients and waste products in the biosphere. Moreover, they are important for the preservation of the natural environment by regulating biogeochemical cycles. The EU-funded ERMADA project aims to analyse and elucidate Earth’s microbial diversity using bioinformatics and machine learning algorithms. Specifically, it will shed light on the composition and structure of the microbiome at different rank levels and lineages and provide a complete record of the planet’s present microbial diversity footprint.
Objective
The estimated number of microbes on our planet outnumbers the stars of the Milky Way galaxy and their biomass exceeds that of all plants and animals. Out of the 10^12 microbial species, only around 10^4 have been cultured, less than 10^5 species are represented by classified sequences, and a staggering estimated 99% of these microorganisms remain taxonomically unknown. Metagenomic shotgun sequencing has emerged as the most prevalent way of studying and classifying microorganisms from various habitats whereas genome analysis can be used to uncover the functions of genes, enzymes and metabolic pathways in a microbial community. This painstaking effort is crucial to understanding Earth's biodiversity, as microbes play important roles in regulating the planet’s biogeochemical cycles through processes that govern nutrient circulation in both terrestrial and marine environments. In this proposal, we will employ cutting edge bioinformatics and machine learning algorithms to analyze and elucidate Earth’s microbial diversity. We will use deep neural networks trained by large volumes of metagenomic sequences as well as big data methods to process hundreds of terabytes of data and taxonomically classify all uncharacterized metagenomic samples, by identifying their origins and habitats. Going beyond the capacities of conventional sequence similarity and comparison analyses, neural network models can capture higher level, abstract defining features and patterns in metagenomic sequences. The aim of this study is twofold: i) to gain a deeper understanding of the composition and structure of the microbiome at different rank levels and lineages and ii) to provide a complete record of the planet’s present microbial diversity footprint. The latter can serve as a reference dataset for future studies pertaining to microbiome evolution due to climate change or other long-term environmental factors.
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.
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
See all projects funded under this programme
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 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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-2018
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
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.
16 672 VARI-ATHENS
Greece
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.