MIRRI

As new species of microorganisms are discovered, relevant data and expertise that guarantee efficiency and accuracy in producing results can be difficult to locate. There is a current fragmentation of microbial resources and related data distributed across Europe which needs to be coordinated and operated to form common standards and channel activities towards challenges in healthcare, food security, poverty alleviation and climate change. Through the creation of a network of research and innovation actors in Europe, MIRRI intends to employ a holistic approach that brings together partner countries, institutes and researchers to work on shared goals to increase collaboration, complementarity, responsiveness, exchange of experience, resources & data-sharing, trust-building, ethics, reliability, fairness, equality, non-discrimination and transparency.

MIRRI has a special focus on the domains of Health & Food, Agro-Food, and Environment & Energy. By placing its strategic focus on these three domains, MIRRI now has an R&I strategy that will see to the systemic provision of information, materials and services by anticipating potential gaps, needs and opportunities in the user communities and helping them deliver the maximum value and impacts from their projects, technologies and products. Thus far, MIRRI has identified and characterised over 20,000 strains of microorganism per year and has a current holding of over 400,000 microbial strains.

The MIRRI Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda 2021-2030 is a living document that anticipates major trends and opportunities for the valorisation of microbial strains and their derivatives for the sustainable development of societies and the bioeconomy. This agenda provides a compact and concise overall view of the seven MIRRI Strategic Areas and how MIRRI will meet the needs of the user communities through its services and offers.

MIRRI’s membership is open to mBRCs, CCs, research and academic institutions as well as individuals or clusters of experts from the sectors of biosciences, biotechnology and other bioindustries. Being a member of MIRRI means exchanging knowledge, providing services, gaining visibility, and playing a unique role in the European scientific research and innovation landscape of Food, Health and Environmental Sciences and beyond. MIRRI contributes to tackling relevant societal challenges and strengthening Europe’s industrial competitiveness. MIRRI offers its members opportunities to be part of a large and dynamic laboratory as a whole and to share common access, scientific evaluation, dissemination support, Intellectual Property Rights, employment and procurement policies.