From gene to ecosystem: CBMA receives €1.5 million to establish itself as a European hub of biodiversity intelligence.

CBMA Leads €1.5M European Project to Transform Data into Biodiversity Intelligence

The Centre for Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), a research unit of the School of Sciences at the University of Minho, will coordinate GENE2ECO, a project funded by the European Union through the Twinning program, with funding of €1.5 million, in an edition with an 11% success rate.

This project aims to strengthen CBMA’s capacity to integrate molecular and environmental data, consolidating its position as a leading European center for biodiversity intelligence, capable of generating knowledge, developing predictive models, and promoting the ecological resilience of natural and human-modified systems. CBMA generates extensive molecular and environmental datasets in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. However, the integration of this data, as well as the adoption of European standards for information management and sharing, represent significant scientific and technological challenges. GENE2ECO addresses these challenges through a strategic partnership with two internationally renowned institutions: the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NATURALIS).

Over 36 months, GENE2ECO will develop interoperable workflows to integrate multi-omics approaches – from gene to ecosystem – implement robust open data infrastructures, and empower researchers, technicians, and doctoral students through international mobility programs, advanced training, and summer schools.

The project will strengthen CBMA’s position as a leading center for biodiversity intelligence, contributing to accelerating research and supporting more effective responses to the challenges of ecosystem conservation and resilience.