We are pleased to announce that under the European Funds for Smart Economy Programme 2021–2027, Action 2.4 Research Infrastructure for a Modern Economy, the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (project leader – Anna Wojakowska, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof.), acting as the consortium leader, has obtained funding for the project OMNIPLANT: Omics and Microscopy Network for Integrated PLANT cell analysis.

The members of the consortium are: the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry (leader), Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, and the Institute of Plant Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

The business contribution is provided by Diag-Med Ltd.

The OMNIPLANT project was conceived in response to one of the most important and at the same time most complex challenges facing contemporary science, agriculture, forestry, and biotechnology – how to effectively and precisely understand the mechanisms governing plant functioning at the single-cell level in order to address the growing problems associated with global climate change, environmental degradation, loss of soil fertility, and declining biodiversity. These changes place increasing pressure on agriculture and forestry, which must not only improve productivity but also enhance plant resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses while minimizing negative impacts on ecosystems.

The main objective of the OMNIPLANT project is to establish in Poland a modern, interdisciplinary, and comprehensive research infrastructure dedicated to advanced imaging and multi-omics analysis of individual plant cells. This infrastructure will enable the integration of proteomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics data, as well as imaging of structural and chemical composition at the subcellular level. As a result, it will be possible to generate a holistic picture of the molecular and physiological processes that determine plant functioning and adaptation. The project will establish laboratories offering a wide range of research and analytical services to the scientific community and businesses in the agrobiotechnology and forestry sectors.

OMNIPLANT will support both basic research, contributing to the advancement of knowledge on plant biology, and applied research focused on practical solutions, such as the development of new plant varieties resistant to drought, pathogens, or soil contamination, the development of environmentally friendly biopreparations and plant protection products, and the advancement of precision agriculture technologies.

The project will also foster cross-sectoral cooperation, bringing together academia, industry, the business community and society, and promote the transfer of knowledge and technology at both national and international levels.

The total value of the project is PLN 35,762,119.11, and the amount of funding from the European Funds for the entire consortium is PLN 24,306,091.20.

The project is co-funded by the European Union under the European Funds for Smart Economy Programme.

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