CropStrengthen is an European Industrial Doctorate Programme funded by the European Commission. The project provides advanced systems biology training for 5 young researchers at the University of Potsdam (Coordinator), Germany, and two companies: BioAtlantis Ltd., Ireland, and Enza Zaden R&D B.V., The Netherlands.

CropStrengthen provides advanced systems biology training for 5 young researchers who will develop novel methods for increasing crop strength and resistance to stress by alternative genetic and genomic, non-GMO technologies:

(1) Selecting allelic variants of a novel gene identified by members of the consortium which regulates oxidative and abiotic stress tolerance and

(2) Molecular priming by biostimulants or low doses of H2O2 to induce stress-protective mechanisms in crops.

The genetic approaches are combined with high-throughput technologies for transcriptome, metabolome, and phenotype analyses, combined with advanced bioinformatics. CropStrengthen young researchers perform their individual research projects in the academic and the industrial sectors. The projects include secondments and research stays for several months at the partner companies of the consortium and various training Workshops.