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H2020Doctoral network2015–2018

BIG4 · Biosystematics, Informatics and Genetics of the big 4 insect groups: training tomorrow's researchers and entrepreneurs

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2015-01-01 → 2018-12-31
EU contribution
€3,874,279
Participants
23
Scheme
MSCA-ITN-ETN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners. CORDIS does not always give exact coordinates for projects before 2014. These points are placed at city or country level.

Results in brief

BIG4 - Biosystematics, Informatics and Genetics of the big 4 insect groups: training tomorrow's researchers and entrepreneurs

BIG4 aimed to train a new generation of researchers to explore the biggest chunk of Earth biodiversity, the four mega-diverse insect orders: beetles; bees, wasps, ants; flies and mosquitoes; as well as butterflies and moths. It combined the cutting edge methods of genomics, phylogenetics, informatics, taxonomy, semantic biodiversity publishing and citizen science and ran a cross-disciplinary training programme for 16 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) with a stronghold in biosystematics. One ESRs secured a competitive permanent position as researcher and collections curator at the Canadian National Collection of Insects and Arthropods and was replaced by an ESR who is two years into her training. Another ESR took up a programing and data visualisation job in the industry. Three ESRs successfully defended their PhD theses in 2019, and one already secured a post doctoral position to continue to research on rove beetle systematics. The other two, after their PhD defences, are poised to get post doctoral scholarships or a job, most likely in academia. Three more ESRs have completed their PhD with defence scheduled in 2019. The remaining ESRs are on a four year PhD program and well on track with their projects. Thanks to the collaborative spirit and synergistic environment of the BIG4 action, all ESRs are on the track to explore the four biggest groups of living organisms in ways never tried before. The main objective of BIG4, meeting the urgent need to focus on the “big four” insect groups by training young generation researchers and entrepreneurs, is fulfilled. As future leaders in the field the ESRs will continue to exploit the huge potential of that biological diversity. BIG4 succeeded in integrating academia with business (genomic, big data visualisation and automated insect identification projects) and the public (citizen-science). BIG4 made the insect mega-diversity much more visible as a powerful service for economic and societal needs such as environmental monitoring, biological control, biomedicine, or ecological farming.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

BIG4 is a global network to amalgamate the cutting edge methods of genomics, phylogenetics, informatics, taxonomy, semantic biodiversity publishing and citizen science, into highly competitive cross-disciplinary training programme for 15 ESRs with a stronghold in biosystematics. These 15 future leaders will extend the exploration of the four biggest groups of living organisms in a more forward looking way than has been attempted before. The urgent focus on the “big four” insect groups, i.e. Coleoptera (beetles), Hymenoptera (wasps, ants and bees), Diptera (flies and mosquitoes), and Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) is justified by the super abundance of this form of Life, and by the growing need by science and society to make better use of the enormous potential hidden in their biological diversity. BIG4 aims [1] to gain a robust systematic knowledge that explains the evolutionary origin, diversification, past and present distributions of living organisms, [2] to model their future dispersal and [3] to predict the traits of species that are yet unknown. Additionally, BIG4 strives for [4] implementing organismal features into engineering, medicine, agricultural or environmental solutions, the insect flight mechanics and more effective pollination to mention just a few. Such knowledge is in a particularly high demand in respect of the four biggest insects groups comprising the most important model organisms, the most dangerous pests or disease vectors, the most abundant invasive species and the most fragile entire species communities undergoing extinction due to habitat destruction. By integrating academia with the business and public sectors, BIG4 will greatly increase services and beneficial products provided by the biosystematics as a science. BIG4 will place insect mega-diversity as a powerful service for economic and societal needs such as environmental monitoring, biological control, biomedicine, or ecological farming.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET · KOBENHAVNCoordinatorDenmark
  • DECURIA AB · STOCKHOLMCity levelSweden
  • Era7 Information Technologies SL · ArmillaSpain
  • FRIEDRICH-SCHILLER-UNIVERSITÄT JENA · JENAGermany
  • HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO · HelsinkiFinland
  • INSTITUTE OF ZOOLOGY, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES · BeijingChina
  • LANDCARE RESEARCH NEW ZEALAND LTD · LINCOLNNew Zealand
  • LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT ZUR ANALYSE DES BIODIVERSITATSWANDELS · BONNGermany
  • LUNDS UNIVERSITET · LundSweden
  • MUSEE ROYAL DE L'AFRIQUE CENTRALE · TervurenBelgium
  • NARODNI MUZEUM-NATIONAL MUSEUM NM · PRAHACzechia
  • NATURHISTORISCHES MUSEUM · WienAustria
  • NATURHISTORISKA RIKSMUSEET · StockholmSweden
  • PENSOFT PUBLISHERS · SofiaBulgaria
  • PLAZI GMBH · BernSwitzerland
  • SAVANTIC AB · STOCKHOLMSweden
  • TURUN YLIOPISTO · TurkuFinland
  • The Trustee for Australian Museum Trust · SydneyAustralia
  • UNIVERSITAT WIEN · WienAustria
  • UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS CENTER FOR RESEARCH, INC · LAWRENCE KSUnited States
  • UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES · SydneyAustralia
  • UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA · Tsukuba IbarakiJapan
  • UNIVERZITA KARLOVA · Praha 1Czechia

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union