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Funaction is more than the sum of the competences and efforts of eight partners:





 

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden



SLU is a world-class international university with research, education and environmental assessment within the sciences for sustainable life. Its principal sites are in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, but activities are also conducted at research stations, experimental parks and educational establishments throughout Sweden. We bring together people who have different perspectives, but they all have one and the same goal: to create the best conditions for a sustainable, thriving and better world.


Research team:
Jennifer Anderson
Researcher at Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Division of Microbial Ecology, project coordinator
Olga Vinnere Pettersson
National Genomics Infrastructure - SciLifeLab, Scientific Lead for Planetary Biology at SciLifeLab

Ziming Wang  
Postdoctoral Researcher at Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Division of Microbial Ecolog
Michael Bruun-Nielsen
Field Assistant at Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Division of Microbial Ecology


 

University of Minho, Portugal



The University of Minho (UMinho) is a young university founded in 1973. UMinho is one of the most prestigious Portuguese higher education institutions, and is gradually becoming more prominent internationally.
The UMinho team belongs also to the Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA) a centre with the mission to deliver excellence in research and postgraduate training in Biological Sciences, while fostering scientific literacy and knowledge transfer to stakeholders at national and international levels.


Research team:
Isabel Fernandes
Researcher at the Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), University of Minho
Ronaldo Sousa
Associate Professor with Habilitation at University of Minho and Researcher at the Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA)
Diana Graça     
Research Assistant at University of Minho and Researcher at the Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA)
Sergio Costa   
Master Student at  at University of Minho and Researcher at the Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA)


  

University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Switzerland



SUPSIs Institute for Microbiology does research and services in the fields of microbial ecology and biodiversity, public health, environmental hygiene, and biotechnology in a unified vision of microbiology that considers human, animal and environmental health following a  "one health" perspective.


Research team:
Andreas Bruder 
Senior Researcher at Institute of Microbiology of SUPSI
Catherine Sayer
Programme Officer, Freshwater Biodiversity Unit / Global Species Programme IUCN, Cambridge, UK
Thomas Starnes 
Key Biodiversity Areas Program Officer at IUCN, Cambridge, UK
James Westrip
IUCN Red List Unit, Cambridge, UK
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Communication team:
Max da Rocha Fonseca
Scientific collaborator at Institute of design of SUPSI



 

University of Tartu, Estonia






Research team:
Leho Tedersoo [1]
Professor at Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Tartu
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Victoria Prins [1]
Technician at Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Tartu
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Kadri Runnel [1]
Researcher in Conservation Biology and Mycology, University of Tartu
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Veljo Kisand [2]
Senior Researcher at the Institute of Technology, University of Tartu
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Kristel Panksep [2]
Junior Researcher at the Institute of Technology, University of Tartu
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Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Germany



IGB is Germany’s largest and one of the leading international centres for freshwater research. It is also one of the oldest institutions in this field. The roots of the predecessor institutions can be traced back to the end of the 19th century. Today, science at IGB covers a wide range of disciplines – from hydrology, physics, geography, ecology and evolution to socio-ecology, from molecular biology to the study of entire ecosystems and catchments, and from microbial ecology to fish behaviour. Our findings and methods provide an excellent basis to train young scientists and to promote an open knowledge exchange with society. Thus, we contribute to coping with ecological and societal challenges, such as the adaptation to global change, the conservation of aquatic biodiversity and the sustainable use and management of inland waters. IGB is an institute of the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. and Germany’s Leibniz Association. It closely collaborates with numerous national and international universities and other partners in science and society.


Research team:
Hans-Peter Grossart   
Professor in aquatic microbial ecology at IGB Stechlin
Alice Retter    
Postdoc in aquatic microbial ecology at IGB Berlin
Solvig Pinnow  
Research Technicianin aquatic microbial ecology at IGB Stechlin




  

National Research Council, Italy                                        ︎︎︎
 



The Water Research Institute (Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque - IRSA) of the National Research Council of Italy (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - CNR) focuses on aquatic resources, including biodiversity conservation. Several research activities of the institute involve the study of microscopic aquatic diversity, to understand the functions and interactions that microscopic organisms, like aquatic fungi, have in the environment. FUNACTION will bring together our expertise in biodiversity, systematics, taxonomy, and ecology of microscopic aquatic organisms with the aim of preserving a poorly known element of biological diversity like aquatic fungi.


Research team:
Laura Garzoli
Researcher at the Molecular Ecology Group (MEG) at the CNR-IRSA of Verbania
Ester Maria Eckert
Researcher at the Molecular Ecology Group (MEG) at the CNR-IRSA of Verbania
Emanuele Ferrari
Researcher at the Molecular Ecology Group (MEG) at the CNR-IRSA of Verbania
Diego Fontaneto
Researcher at the Molecular Ecology Group (MEG) at the CNR-IRSA of Verbania
Selene Chinaglia
Postdoctoral researcher at the Molecular Ecology Group (MEG) at the CNR-IRSA of Verbania
Pietro Marchese
Postdoctoral researcher at the Molecular Ecology Group (MEG) at the CNR-IRSA of Verbania


  

Indianapolis Zoological Society, United States of America



The Global Center for Species Survival at the Indianapolis Zoo is a partnership with the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC). It supports, connects and communicates the work of more than 10,500 conservationists joined together in the 167 Specialist Groups, Task Forces and Conservation Committees of the IUCN SSC, and aims to catalyse lasting positive outcomes for species conservation.


Research team:
Monika Bohm
Freshwater Coordinator at Global Center for Species Survival, Indianapolis Zoo
Catia Canteiro
Plants and Fungi Conservation Coordinator at  Global Center for Species Survival, Indianapolis Zoo
FUNACTION
Aquatic Fungal Biodiversity

Funaction brings together scientists and conservationists from Europe and the USA in a transnational consortium to enhance understanding of aquatic fungi diversity and devise conservation strategies.