New microbiome scientists at the Frederick II with 'CRESCENDO'

The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action Cofund will provide more than 800,000 euros for the international mobility project 'CRESCENDO,' presented by Federico II through the University Task Force for Microbiome Studies, headed by Professor Danilo Ercolini.

'CRESCENDO' will fund scholarships for International Researchers to be involved in training and research in the field of the microbiome. Talented young people residing outside Italy will be selected to carry out a PhD program at the University of Naples Federico II. The common thread of the training and research process will be the microbiome, but the topic will be addressed by developing research projects within different Ph.D. courses pertaining to Departments of Agriculture, Biology, Medicine, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Engineering and Veterinary Medicine.

The microbiome is the community of microorganisms that inhabit an ecosystem along with all their genes and plays a fundamental role in life on our planet and the well-being of all living organisms.

'CRESCENDO' PhD students will be Microbiome Scientists with cross-sectoral and international experience and a multidisciplinary technical and scientific background that will provide them with expendable know-how in companies, research or academic environments where the endless applications on microbiome-related science are expected.

There are major EU and international projects and initiatives on the topic. In addition, several innovative start-ups have sprung up in recent years with interests in the microbiome with a focus on studying the health of humans, animals and the environment and for promoting the use of microbial resources for industrial and biotechnological purposes.

The applications of microbiome studies in the next decade will be crucial for medicine, agribusiness, biomaterial production, environmental bioremediation, and the establishment of major research infrastructures.

'CRESCENDO' represents one of the first European attempts to implement a PhD program in Microbiome Science.

The project will benefit from the participation of 21 partner organizations at which researchers will travel to carry out some of their activities to enhance their skills. Among the partners are some international companies that are stakeholders in microbiome research such as Kraft-Heinz, Roche, Sanofi, Novamont and excellent research centers, above all 'APC Microbiome and Teagasc'.

'CRESCENDO' involves co-funding from the University and was presented by the University Task Force for Microbiome Studies(www.tfm.unina.it), a hub of expertise on innovation, research and development in this field that includes 150 scientists from 14 different departments of the University of Frederick.

'The project represents an important opportunity,' explains Danilo Ercolini, Scientific Head of the Task Force and Director of the Department of Agriculture at Federico II, 'that will allow us to integrate talented young scholars from other countries, consolidate the value of our University in scientific research and training in the field of Microbiome Studies, and contribute to the fundamental process of internationalization.

'CRESCENDO' is one of 3 Italian projects funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Cofund action that will distribute about 100 million euros in doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships. In addition to that of Federico II, projects submitted by the Universities of Padua and Genoa were selected.