Last year, access to a total of 22 research facilities was announced by EDUC-WIDE's "Widening Partners": Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, the University of Pécs in Hungary, and Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University in Ukraine.
- Research infrastructures are open to your projects (educalliance.eu)
Jörn Klein, professor of microbiology, epidemiology, and infection control at USN, was among those who successfully applied for access to the research facilities.
Get to know EDUC-WIDE, the research division of EDUC:
- EDUC-WIDE (educalliance.eu)
"A Brilliant Example"
"This collaboration demonstrates the strength of EDUC and the ability of this alliance to open new doors for groundbreaking research. It's all about leveraging resources and expertise across borders to promote knowledge and innovation," says Heidi Tovsrud Knutsen, institutional coordinator for EDUC at USN.
Vice-Rector for Research, Sustainability, and Innovation at USN, Heidi Ormstad, looks forward to the valuable insights that will come out of this collaboration:
"This is a brilliant example of how we can use our partnership to make a real difference in scientific research and education. By working closely with our international partners, we can promote innovation and develop new strategies for infection control. This project is proof of how crucial international collaboration is for solving global health challenges," she says.
Not Possible Before
In May 2025, Klein will travel to Hungary to work at the Hungarian Centre for Genomics and Bioinformatics | University of Pécs (pte.hu), located in the Szentágothai Research Centre at the University of Pécs.
More on Hungarian Centre for Genomics and Bioinformatics
- The first Hungarian core facility with a special focus on providing services in both next-generation sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics.
- It offers a wide range of NGS services, including Illumina sequencing (NextSeq, MiSeq, MiniSeq, and iSeq), nanopore long-read sequencing (MinION), and comprehensive protocols for genome, transcriptome, epigenome, and metagenome sequencing.
- It also offers advice on study design and provides bioinformatics and biostatistical data analysis services on NGS as well as other biomedical data.
- Located in the Szentágothai Research Centre at the University of Pécs.
- Website: Hungarian Centre for Genomics and Bioinformatics | University of Pécs
Klein is bringing with him to Hungary a collection of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes that live on the skin of our hands. These samples will be analysed at the centre, which offers state-of-the-art sequencing equipment and expertise that is not available at USN.
"Through collaboration with this centre, we can utilise advanced methods for genome analysis and bioinformatics. This will provide a more precise mapping of the microbiome and identify bacterial species that were previously impossible to detect in such studies," says Klein.
Improved hygiene practices
The work is part of the project "Mapping the Microbial Composition of Healthy Hand Skin Flora in Two Different Age Groups," which aims to establish a comprehensive database of the hand microbiome in two different age groups: young adults aged 18 to 25 and elderly nursing home residents over 80 years old.
"The main goal of the project is to provide valuable insights into microbial diversity, age-related differences, and potential interactions between bacteria on the skin," says Klein.
The database he is establishing can form the basis for further research on infection prevention, especially in the healthcare sector, where hands serve as one of the primary carriers of hospital-acquired infections.
"By identifying and understanding the natural balance of the hand microbiome, the results can contribute to improved hygiene practices and the development of new strategies for infection control," says Klein.
Filling knowledge gap
The research project was initiated to fill a knowledge gap about how the hand microbiome varies between different age groups. This is especially relevant in the healthcare sector, where elderly patients are often overrepresented among those affected by hospital-acquired infections. The project also provides a unique opportunity to promote international collaboration and innovation in infection control.
Sample collection will take place in Norway in April 2025. A total of 100 participants will contribute samples, which will then be anonymised and analysed. The results will be available for future research and could potentially lead to concrete improvements in both infection control practices and policies.
"More than just an agreement"
Vice-Rector Heidi Ormstad adds that it is worth celebrating when USN secures approval for specific projects within our European alliance:
"EDUC should be more than just an agreement that only appears in our strategic documents. I am pleased to see that EDUC is permeating the organisation and producing tangible results, such as this, where researchers within the alliance are collaborating," says Ormstad.
She reminds us that just before Yuletide, two research environments at USN (INHM and IMS) each received approval for their project applications for seed funding through the Knowledge Exchange Scheme for Research Infrastructures (KES infra), along with a number of other EDUC and EDUC-WIDE universities.
1. Micro and nanotechnology research infrastructure knowledge exchange scheme
- USN, IMS (coordinator)
- Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University (PNU)
- Jaume I (JIU)
- University of Masaryk (MU)
- University of Cagliari (UniCa)
- University of Rennes (R1)
2. Genomics and Bioinformatics research infrastructure Knowledge exchange scheme
- USN, INHM (partner)
- University of Cagliari
- University of Pécs
- University of Masaryk
- Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University (PNU)