Klaus Tschira Stiftung backs EMBL research expeditions

The TRaversing ECosystem EMBL initiative, with its first Traversing European Coastlines (TREC) expedition, embarked on a sampling journey along European coastlines to explore the biodiversity and molecular adaptability of microbial communities and key selected organisms. TREC initiated a new era of coastal ecosystems exploration to observe, model, and understand the effects of changing environments on organisms and communities, at the cellular and molecular levels.

Our planet is in the midst of a global environmental crisis – and microbial life is particularly affected. This ‘invisible life’ is essential for the functioning of our ecosystems. Coastal habitats are rich in species biodiversity and they also often present the highest levels of pollution. The investigation of river systems and inland waters is a logical next step, as they are major pathways for pollutants from human activity and are closely linked to coastal regions.

Central to this initiative is an interdisciplinary approach with a myriad of partners based on open data, standardised methods, a science outreach and education programme, and a European as well as global outlook — all grounded in the experience and framework established by the previous TREC expedition.

Scaling up the TREC vision

Thanks to the visionary support of the Klaus Tschira Foundation, EMBL is not only continuing its mission in environmental research –  it is accelerating into a new phase of scientific discovery and global impact. The scientific organisation is further opening the door to previously unexplored ecosystems and research opportunities.

More than just sustaining operations, the Foundation’s support is driving strategic growth: attracting new scientific partners and entire consortia, expanding the project’s scope through the integration of cutting-edge technologies and disciplines, and extending TREC’s influence well beyond Europe.

“With the Foundation’s backing, the principles at the heart of TREC — open data, standardised protocols, and shared analytical approaches — are being adopted across new countries and even continents, helping to build a truly planetary framework for environmental research,” said Paola Bertucci, Head of EMBL Scientific Expeditions. “These efforts are not only advancing science, but making it more collaborative, accessible, and globally relevant.”

Mobilising science for a changing planet

To best study the human impact on ecosystems, EMBL Mobile Laboratories, a multidisciplinary core facility providing advanced technology, brings cutting-edge technologies and methods directly into the field. TREC’s expedition mobility, an important factor for its great success in researching ecosystems, is largely based on this expedition fleet which will soon be expanded with a mobile laboratory for water sample analysis.

“Microbial ecosystems are facing increasing pressures from human activity, but we are also living in a golden age of discovery. With bringing cutting-edge technologies directly to the field, we have unprecedented opportunities to understand these vital communities and how they adapt to a changing world,” explained Niko Leisch, Head of Mobile Laboratory Services at EMBL.

“The mobility of laboratories is a crucial key to modern molecular field research. We were fortunate to receive important philanthropic contributions already during the first phase of TREC. Now, with the support of the Klaus Tschira Foundation, we are able to expand the scope of our Mobile Laboratories to gain new scientific insights directly within the natural habitats of the respective ecosystems.”

The number of researchers using EMBL’s mobile services around Europe continues to grow, while the open-access datasets generated through this initiative are becoming a vital resource for scientists worldwide. In parallel, continuous philanthropic support for logistics, travel, and science outreach is ensuring that new generations in Europe and beyond are inspired by science and knowledge.

With its scientific expedition and its mobile laboratories, EMBL has been ushering in a new era of field-based molecular life sciences. Together with numerous collaborators and with support from the Klaus Tschira Foundation, these ‘labs on wheels’ will allow us to study life in context across Europe, with a global perspective.

This article was first published on 11 August by the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.