Over Two million euros for research on using pathogens as biocontrol agents of harmful algae

UNAK partner in a big EU and UK research project.

We are pleased to announce the start of the Marie Curie Doctoral Network 'Pathogens of Algae for Biosecurity and Biocontrol (PHABB) in January 2024. This project is funded by the European Union and UK Research & Innovation for a total sum of 2.8 million euro for four years, and coordinated by the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris and the University of Aberdeen in the UK. It connects academic partners and SMEs from Austria, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Scotland, Spain, Portugal and The Netherlands.

Harmful algae form a major threat for drinking water supply and aquaculture, and the burgeoning seaweed aquaculture is plagued by poorly-known diseases. PHABB foresees the recruitment and interdisciplinary training of 10 PhD students towards designing novel and sustainable solutions for biocontrol of harmful algae by understanding their pathogens. To achieve this, it will tackle the biological and evolutionary processes linked to microbial community dynamics, virulence and host specificity of pathogens that target desirable or harmful algae in freshwater and marine environments. This new knowledge will be applied towards developing and implementing novel, durable biosecurity and disease control strategies that support natural ecosystems and allow for a reduced use in chemical pesticides.

A doctoral student at UNAK will be participating in the project, supervised by Oddur Þór Vilhelmsson, Professor, and Auður Sigurbjörnsdóttir, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Natural Resource Sciences, in collaboration with the marine biotechnology company BioPol.