Objective “By 2050 the Earth will need to feed two billion more people. How can we achieve that without overwhelming the planet?” The question, raised back in 2009, demands quick action. Human life depends on plants, which feeds us, our livestock or fulfils our biofuel needs. Thus to feed this growing population, it will be necessary to double agricultural yields without increasing the amount of arable land. A fine knowledge of the fundamental molecular processes that finely regulate plant reproduction, will allow increasing crop productivity and high quality seed production in a sustainable manner by agricultural engineering, safeguarding the increase of arable land usage.EpiAGPs aims to provide new insights into the role of Arabinogalactan Proteins (AGPs), signalling molecules crucial for plant reproduction, and their signalling cascade, along with their modulation of/by epigenetic mechanisms. This will be achieved using a combination of genetic, proteomic and transcriptomic approaches in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Arabidopsis is an excellent model to study the reproductive process, as it shares a conserved developmental program with major seed-producing crop plants.EpiAGPs has great potential to contribute to Europe’s excellence and competitiveness in the world, being in line with the European Sustainable Development Program and with the Europes’ 2020 Strategy goals that is optimisation of food production processes and a lower-carbon impact to achieve sustainable growth. The Host laboratory and I will mutually benefit from EpiAGPs; bringing together two different molecular fields of study related with the same developmental process: sexual plant reproduction. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsnatural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyplanetary sciencesplanetsagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagricultureagricultural sciencesanimal and dairy sciencedomestic animalsanimal husbandrynatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsepigenetics Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2016 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2016 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF Coordinator UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO Net EU contribution € 180 277,20 Address Via Festa Del Perdono 7 20122 Milano Italy See on map Region Nord-Ovest Lombardia Milano Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 180 277,20