New international multidisciplinary training network to advance to the novel field of hologenomics

NMBU will coordinate a new Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network that will advance understanding of how microorganism and host genetics interact. The network will train 11 doctorial students across Europa, three at NMBU.

Microorganisms that live on and within our bodies impact almost all of our biological processes. Many areas of research are changing with the realisation that microbiota, their genes and the way they interact with host genetics, are integral to in both basic and applied biology, with direct relevance to many global societal challenges. This realisation has the potential to revolutionise not only basic biology but also applied areas such as agrobiology, biomedicine and biotechnology.

The new training network (“HoloGen”) is being led by Professor Torgeir R. Hvidsten at KBM. Professor Simen R. Sandve (BIOVIT) and Professor Phil Pope (BIOVIT/KBM) will also supervise doctorial students at NMBU.

"This network will enhance already top-notch research environments in animal science, microorganisms, and data analysis at NMBU by connecting them with the best environments in Europe. I am truly looking forward to participating in training the next generation of researchers in this new, exciting field of research," says Torgeir R. Hvidsten.

This EU funding will enable the establishment of a doctoral programme that brings together organisations from different sectors to train highly skilled doctoral candidates to develop the practical implementation of hologenomics, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of host-microbiota interactions and their impact in both basic and applied areas, with direct relevance to many global societal challenges.

There will be 11 doctoral posts at seven universities, all benefitting from top researchers with theoretical knowledge on symbiosis biology, microbial ecology, animal evolution, animal production and biomedicine, as well as practical expertise in large- scale (meta)genomics, DNA sequence analysis, metabolomics, computational biology and biological systems modelling.

In total, the network includes 18 partners comprising universities, research institutes and industry partners.

READ MORE ON THE PROJECT WEB SITE