Partner 06

The Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, which is an institute of the Royal Dutch Academy for Arts and Sciences, manages one of the largest living culture collections of fungi in the world. The KNAW-CBS has extensive expertise in the field of Quarantine Plant Health research,which has led to the publication of many research papers and books on the topic, as well as contributing important reference strains to the extensive culture collection. KNAW-CBS was also a partner of FP6 programmes such as Synthesys and EDIT, and has accumulated extensive experience in linking databases and processes among different organisations, and standardising taxonomic protocols. For the EU-funded QBOL project, KNAW-CBS coordinated Barcoding of fungi in WP2 and the development of the databases infrastructure in WP9 and participated in other work packages (WP8, WP10 and WP11). It also maintains several associated databases, including “MycoBank”, which provides a webbased system and online keys to access names and data pertaining to yeasts and filamentous fungi. MycoBank is run under the auspices of the International Mycological Association, supporting the needs of more than 30.000 mycologists worldwide. MycoBank is based on BioloMICS software, and links nomenclature to a taxonomy browser, DNA barcodes, and associated meta-data (GPS coordinates, descriptions, illustrations, literature, etc.), allowing rapid online identification, while providing all associated data related to the organism. The KNAW-CBS has access to the largest number of living ex-type strains of filamentous fungi in the world, and is actively involved in generating DNA sequences and associated meta-data to typify these organisms. The KNAW-CBS makes its unique software, DNA data, collection and research programmes focusing on bioinformatics and phytopathology available to QBOL/Q-bank.

CBS-KNAW will lead WP5 (Info-portal) and participate in all other Workpackages since WP5 will have to gather all data, information and guidelines produced by these WPs.