EPIC
(acronym for Entomopathogenic fungi: physiology, integrated multi-omics, and environmental competence) is a coordinated MSCA-Staff Exchange project that brings together three universities, one research institute, and one SME from five EU countries. The consortium combines complementary expertise in ecology, genetics, physiology, natural product chemistry, and “omics” technologies, ensuring a truly interdisciplinary approach.
The project is in line with the ‘HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-Staff Exchanges’ programme, which is funded by the European Union’s ‘Horizon Europe’ programme, and promotes international and cross-sectoral staff exchanges to strengthen knowledge transfer and sustainable cooperation (HORIZON-MSCA-2025-SE-01, EPIC, Grant Agreement No. 101299843).
The project’s key objectives are:
(1) to study indigenous EPF in diverse ecosystems, (2) to investigate their adaptation to specific niches and environments as well as plant hosts, (3) to isolate efficient strains for crop protection and improvement, and incorporate them into an existing Mycotheca (a fungal culture collection), (4) to determine the metabolomic, genomic, and transcriptomic profiles of selected strains, (5) to define their physiology and bioactivity, (6) to isolate novel metabolites for biotechnological applications, and (7) to support EPF development and commercialisation.
Runtime: 2026-2030
For further information please contact:
Prof. Dr. Vassili Kouvelis, Co-ordinator
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens