RTDS
RTDS Association is the non-profit arm of RTDS Group for implementation of the non-profit, EU funded projects. RTDS is an SME specializing in the development, implementation and communication of research, innovation and technological development projects, which includes IP management and business planning.
RTDS provides professional management and dissemination services, tools and training to research institutions, SMEs and other organizations involved in international research and cooperation. RTDS is partner in several completed and on-going European Union Framework projects covering health, environment, food and agriculture (KBBE), and bio-based industries (BBI).
In the MIBIREM project RTDS Association is the Project Co-ordinator in charge of project management as well as Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication.
AIT
AIT – Austrian Institute Of Technology is Austria’s largest Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) and an international key player in many research areas. AIT is one of leading development partners for the industry and a top employer within the international scientific community.
In the MIBIREM project, AIT is the Scientific Coordinator and is in charge of harmonisation of sample taking and treatment, site selection and access. In addition, AIT is in charge of the development of the MIBIREM TOOLBOX – the microbiome and bioremediation tools developed and applied in MIBIREM – to ensure that it fulfils regulatory requirements and addresses market needs.
ALTAR
ALTAR– now a Ginkgo Bioworks, France is a biotech company based in Evry, France and offers fully automated and powerful fluidic technology for the production of microbes for commercial purposes. The microbes are used by their clients for the production of food, feeds, flavors, cosmetics, fuel, and health products.
In the MIBIREM project AlTAR us in charge of laboratory evolution of enrichment cultures and artificial microbiomes.
The Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
The Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) is one of the world’s leading research institutions. The Université de Lorraine is a public scientific institution with more than 4000 teaching and research staff. Scientific research is organized around ten scientific centers grouping together sixty research laboratories including the LIEC- Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Continental Environments. The primary objective of the LIEC is to understand the functioning of continental ecosystems that have been heavily disturbed by human activity, with the aim of their rehabilitation. To this end, the LIEC carries out interdisciplinary research combining concepts and methods from environmental mineralogy, soil science, microbial ecology, colloidal physical chemistry, ecotoxicology and functional ecology.
The role in the MIBIREM project is to contribute to the characterization of microbial consortia involved in the biodegradation of contaminants through the use of stable isotope probing (SIP) combined with metagenomic tools. CNRS will also develop devices to capture soil microorganisms (bacterial traps).
DND Biotech
DND Biotech is an Italian SME focused on the development of bio-based solutions for the remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater.
It is specialised in environmental engineering and biotechnology, design and operation of pilot plants, scale-up of bioremediation systems, production of bioaugmentation inoculum and zeolites filtering media.
The main role in the MIBIREM project is identifying and sampling suitable contaminated sites as well as testing selected microbiomes with prototypes and pilot plants.
Ghent University
Ghent University is one of the major universities situated in Belgium, founded in 1817 and currently housing more than 49 000 students and 15 000 employees. Over 11 faculties, more than 200 programmes are offered and in-depth research is conducted, covering a wide range of scientific domains. Ghent University is a world-class, open, pluralistic and socially engaged university. Its credo is ‘Dare to Think’, challenging everyone to question conventional views and to dare to take a nuanced stand. Ghent university collaborats with the best universities in Belgium and abroad. It is the first European university in South Korea, with Ghent University Global Campus.
Within MIBIREM, Ghent University will isolate pollutant-degrading bacteria from polyaromatic hydrocarbon, lindane or cyanide contaminated soil and groundwater samples using high-throughput methods. Additionally, quality standards for long-term preservation of bioremediation consortia will be defined and both bioremediation bacteria accompanied by their annotated genome sequences and bioremediation consortia will be publicly deposited in the BCCM/LMG Bacteria Collection.
Hasselt University
The Centre for Environmental Sciences (CMK) at Hasselt University is a multidisciplinary research institute with more than 200 researchers from different disciplines such as environmental biology, epidemiology, zoology, toxicology, applied chemistry, nuclear engineering, environmental economics, environmental law). Its three research themes are:
- Understanding the influences of the environment on organisms
- Developing and assessing sustainable clean technologies to mitigate influences of the environment on organisms
- Monitoring and optimizing biodiversity and ecosystem services under different stress conditions, incl. climate change.
As WP2 leader, CMK is responsible for the Microbiome analyses, cultivation and evolution. In particular it will use next generation sequencing to identify bacteria with pollutant degrading properties, trap and identify active pollutant-degrading bacteria, apply new approaches in cultivation, and improve selected microbial consortia by natural evolution. Lastly, CMK will monitor the microbiomes, bioaugmented strains and consortia during field pilot tests.
Sensatec GmbH
Sensatec GmbH has been active in the field of contaminated site remediation for many years. Sensatec GmbH offers its customers a wide range of products starting with feasibility studies on a laboratory scale through pilot tests to large-scale remediation in the field. In addition to classical remediation techniques, Sensatec GmbH also offers biological remediation for certain pollutants. Furthermore, the product portfolio includes various drilling methods, as for site characterization or solid compounds injection.
In the MIBIREM project, Sensatec GmbH will primarily contribute its knowledge of the enrichment and cultivation of pollutant degrading bacterial consortia. Moreover, the many years of knowledge in the field of practical application of (biological) remediation processes will be beneficial to the project.
TAUW BV
TAUW BV is a European consultancy and engineering firm with a strong position in environmental advice and the sustainable development of the living environment. From offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Spain and Italy, we work with more than 1,200 dedicated employees on a beautiful, clean, safe and sustainable living environment.
TAUW has a broad network of industrially contaminated site and elaborate experience with remediation of soil and groundwater. Within the MIBIREM project, TAUW will be responsible for site selection, handling of permissions, and involved in sampling, engineering and implementation of field tests.
University of Pisa (UNIPI)
The University of Pisa (UNIPI) department of biology of brings together a range of disciplines to understand life at all levels of biological organization in viruses, bacteria, protists, plants and humans. In addition to fundamental research, the mission of the Department of Biology is the development of cutting edges biotechnological approaches to environmental and industrial sectors. The group of Plant and Microbial Molecular Biology is devoted to the study and application of a blend of multidisciplinary scientific competences for the bioremediation of soils, aquifers, waste waters and air for the improvement of industrial processes, to reduce their footprint, promote social wellness and the sustainability of the environmental quality, in the frame of a fully circular economy.
In the MIBIREM project, UNIPI will deal with the transformation hexachlorocyclohexane that is banned in EU but still persisting in the environment, by using microbiomes that will be isolated and characterised for their exploitation in the abatement of the contaminant in environmental matrices.
Utrecht University
Utrecht University’s Faculty of Geosciencesstudies the Earth: from the Earth’s core to its surface, including man’s spatial and material utilisation of the Earth – always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the Faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.
The research group Environmental Hydrogeology (Earth Science Department) will contribute with its expertise on reactive subsurface transport modeling of contaminants to the MIBIREM Project. Our main objective is to design and implement a multi-disciplinary prediction tool for guiding bioremediation as a Python package. We will further lead the project data management for handling and exchanging data across project groups.
