SOLGENSYS and FRUITFUL are the only projects with a Bulgarian coordinator аmong a total of 81 applications funded by the “Marie Skłodowska-Curie” Programme 

 

Out of a total of 363 projects submitted to the European Commission in 2025 under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Programme, 81 were successful and the SOLGENSYS and FRUITFUL are the only two selected projects with a Bulgarian coordinator –CPSBB.

The research within the SOLGENSYS project will focus on identifying and validating candidate genes responsible for stress tolerance and improved fruit quality in over 600 tomato lines. The researchers study which genes and genomic traits influence the quantity and quality of tomato fruits, especially when the plants are exposed to adverse conditions such as drought and high soil salinity. The goal is to identify the key genetic factors that help tomatoes cope with stress while still producing high-quality yields. These findings will serve as a foundation for developing tomato varieties more resilient to the climate challenges of the 21st century.

Modern high-tech methods will be used to analyze how genes function and are regulated, which substances accumulate in the plants, and how they respond to stress conditions. By integrating all this information, scientists will be able to link specific genetic factors to observable traits of tomatoes, such as yield, flavor, and fruit quality.

The project is carried out within a consortium of eight research institutions and companies from Bulgaria – CPSBB and “Maritsa” Vegetable Crops Research Institute (MVCRI), Ireland (“BioAtlantis”), the Netherlands (“Enza Zaden”), Romania (“Hectar”), Italy (University of Turin), France (French National Center for Scientific Research, CNRS), and Argentina (National University of Rosario).

Scientists within the FRUITFUL project apply innovative biostimulant-based molecular priming approaches to mitigate abiotic stresses (cold, drought, heat, frost, highlight-UV stress-induced damage) in fruit and nut orchards predominantly cultivated across Europe, Latin America, Asia and New Zealand.  The focus is on enhancing soil health, fruit set, fruit quality in pome fruits (apples, pears); stone fruits (cherries, peaches, plums, mango); citrus (oranges, lemons, tangerines); tree nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts) and berry fruits (kiwi).

By integrating transcriptomics (RNA-seq) and metabolomics (GC-MS, LC-MS), researchers aim to identify key genes and metabolites involved in abiotic stress responses. They also explore the biostimulant-mediated stress tolerance in selected fruit and nut species.
Soil and plant microbiomes (bulk soil, rhizosphere and endosphere) will be analysed using 16S rRNA and ITS sequencing, shotgun metagenomics, and metabolomics.
Bioinformatics and predictive modelling will link microbial diversity, composition and function to soil quality, tree growth, and productivity, providing mechanistic insights into biostimulant-driven processes for more resilient orchards.

CPSBB coordinates the FRUITFUL’s consortium with research and industrial partners from seven countries.

More about the project: Read here