Enliven: Microbes and Microbial Techniques

MIRRI, the Microbial Resource Research Infrastructure, is a pan-European project that supports research and development in academia and industry by improving access to microbial resources. To date the landscape of mBRCs (microbial domain Biological Resource Centres) is fragmented: for researchers it is time consuming to find the appropriate place for a deposited resource, what kind of associated data for this resource exists and who he would find the expert to contact for more detailed information. There is a disadvantage for the mBRCs too, because, due to the lack of coordination of policy and practice, financial resources are wasted in duplication of biological material and of human efforts. As a result researchers and technical staff are slowed down in their attempts to provide optimal service to the user community. Put more dramatically and in a global way: not even a mere glimpse of biodiversity is currently visible in public microbial resource holdings. This situation clearly impedes the research and development across Europe. MIRRI will address the challenge of access to microbial diversity and its potential by providing a single virtual portal facilitating access to microbial resources, the related data as well as expertise, thereby accelerating discovery and fostering innovation in the field of biotechnology.