PlantaSyst: Teaming-up for Systems Biology and Biotechnology

We describe the principles of PlantaSYST, as an example for the novel European Teaming project, funded under the „Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation” Horizon 2020 program. The goal of the Teaming projects is to bridge the gap between research centres with low and high participation in the EU framework program.


The PlantaSYST project: establishment of a new Center-of-Excellence in Bulgaria
One of the new developments of the EU Horizon 2020 framework program, within the Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation funding scheme, is the Teaming action. The goal is to establish new Centers of Excellence (CoE) or substantially upgrade existing centres in the EU member or associated states that currently have low participation in framework programs. Under this Teaming action, these so-called widening countries are partnered with advanced partner research organizations, thereby bridging the gap between the widening and the advanced countries while fostering scientific excellence. In this way, the pockets of excellence in the widening countries are nourished and the advanced partners further distribute their innovation potential.
With these twin challenges in mind, the PlantaSYST project was conceived. The main goal of PlantaSYST is to establish a Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology (CPSBB) in Plovdiv, Bulgaria (https://cpsbb.eu/). The chosen focus of the centre follows the trend that plant systems biology is a rapidly evolving field, evaluating the genome, RNA, proteins, metabolites, besides other molecular constituents of the cell using high-throughput technologies and bioinformatics approaches in order to understand how plants respond as complex systems to developmental cues and environmental challenges. Plant biotechnology largely relies on the advances of plant systems biology to develop sustainable technological solutions for important challenges such as food production, molecules with applications in amongst others medicine, cosmetics and bio-factories.
The first phase of this Teaming project was implemented during 2015-2016, and its main aim was to prepare a robust 10-year business plan for the development of the CPSBB.
During that period, CPSBB was registered as a legal research entity in the Court of Plovdiv.

Building a research center
The  Figure 1A).

Infrastructure development
The CPSBB obtained a building from the PlantaSYST partner MVCRI at the beginning of the project ( Figure 1B). This was an important development, which allowed rapid employment of core research and technical personnel, and hence intensification of the scientific activities at CPSBB. At the same time, the Bulgarian Government recognized CPSBB as an infrastructure of strategic importance and hence included it in the National Roadmap of Research Infrastructure (www.mon.bg/upload/4013/Roadmap_2017_ENG.pdf), which allowed CPSBB 4 to obtain essential equipment for its building in the MVCRI campus. Further infrastructure development is expected in the coming years, when the new CPSBB campus will be constructed in Plovdiv ( Figure 1C). The campus will have a contemporary administrative building with offices, large auditorium and seminar rooms, laboratory complex, rooms for specialized equipment, and greenhouses.

Developing the human potential
One of the very first steps was to rapidly find and employ core administrative, technical, and The CPSBB is international, striving to employ the best scientists from all over the world, and is set to further expand its human resources once the new CPSBB campus is constructed.

Scientific activities of CPSBB
The CPSBB scientific departments ( Figure 1A) conduct collaborative research with the PlantaSYST partner institutions in several important fields of plant systems biology and plant biotechnology. The Department of Bioinformatics provides support to the experimental departments at CPSBB in all major aspects related to the analysis of "omics" data sets (including e.g. next generation sequencing data from e.g. RNA-seq, ChIP-seq or wholegenome sequencing; primary and secondary metabolite profile data, and others). Furthermore, it conducts its own research, e. comparative genomics of extremophile plants. The Department of Molecular Stress Physiology investigates how plants employ their genetic potential to cope with abiotic and oxidative stress. One research area is deciphering the molecular mechanisms of tolerance against desiccation and long-term darkness in the resurrection species Haberlea rhodopensis, using biochemical, physiological, and "-omics" (transcriptomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, to name a few) approaches [1]. Another research direction, the project partners 5 have identified a new flowering plant-specific gene that plays an important role in regulating abiotic and oxidative stress tolerance [2].
In cooperation with an Irish company, BioAtlantis, scientists from CPSBB and Potsdam are developing an effective, environmentally friendly molecular priming technology in which a seaweed biostimulant induces plant defense genes and metabolites resulting in subsequent stress tolerance [3,4]. This technology was tested successfully with model and crop plants

Challenges and opportunities
Developing a new independent Center of Excellence itself is highly complex; securing its longterm sustainability is equally difficult. Hence, the PlantaSYST project by nature has been very 6 challenging. Keys to the ultimate success are, among others, the long-term support of the Bulgarian Government and Plovdiv Municipality, as well as establishing strategic cooperation with leading universities, research organizations, and biotechnological companies.

Links with Academia and interactions with other Horizon 2020 funded consortia
CPSBB has established and maintained fruitful cooperation with numerous partners globally.
In The CPSBB already has a joint H2020 project with BioAtlantis (RESIST project) and is currently preparing three other collaborative projects with companies. Further opportunities for collaborative research with academic and industrial partners exist in the next framework program Horizon Europe which offers support for research and innovation and fosters 7 European and international partnerships and we hope that sharing our experience here will be helpful for others to follow in our footsteps.