EU fundingNew International Networking Projects Focus on Earthquake Hazards and Fungi as Plant Protection Agents

16 March 2026, by Newsroom editorial office

Photo: Kaztin Jones/Eivind Senneset

Prof. Dr. Bianka Siewert (left) and Prof. Dr. Olena Dubovyk are leading the two new network projects at the University of Hamburg.

Excellent research requires interdisciplinary and global collaboration. Staff Exchanges, which form part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions—a European funding initiative—boost these efforts by financing 2 University of Hamburg research projects.

The projects led by Prof. Dr. Bianka Siewert and Prof. Dr. Olena Dubovyk are both based at the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics, and Natural Sciences and will run for 48 months. The funding program places particular emphasis on international exchange—both in terms of people, through conferences and visiting scholars, and in terms of knowledge. The collaborations involve not only universities and research institutions but also partner organizations from practice, such as companies. Together, the networks aim to address innovative research questions.

Beyond Epicenters: Multifactorial and Networked Assessment of Earthquake Risks and Consequences

To assess the risk of an earthquake and its consequences, the physical characteristics of an area have traditionally been the primary focus. Economic, social, and infrastructural interactions are often not fully accounted for in these assessments. These include, for example, financial resources for reconstruction, integration into overarching structures, and networks for providing emergency relief. The project “Beyond Epicenters: Assessing Earthquake Vulnerability Through Economic and Social Networks” aims to close this gap. Together, the researchers aim to develop innovative, multi-layered vulnerability models and dynamic risk maps to better capture the risks and hazards associated with earthquakes. Case studies in Turkey, Morocco, and Portugal will demonstrate the transferability of the approach to various regional contexts.

The project is coordinated at the University of Hamburg. Prof. Dr. Olena Dubovyk is a professor of earth system sciences, specializing in terrestrial remote sensing, and conducts research in the Department of Earth System Sciences as well as in the CLICCS cluster of excellence. She will contribute her expertise in the fields of Earth observation, spatial modeling, and data-driven risk analysis. The interdisciplinary and international consortium also includes universities and research institutions from Portugal, Germany, Norway, Turkey, Ukraine, Morocco, and Azerbaijan, as well as partners from industry. The project has a total budget of approximately €2.8 million and promotes international mobility, knowledge exchange, and capacity building in disaster risk research.

EPIC: Biological Pest Control Using Fungi

So-called entomopathogenic fungi infect insects and kill them after some time. As such, they are considered an environmentally friendly plant protection agent, particularly for crops, and could contribute to the transfer of sustainable agriculture. The project “EPIC – Entomopathogenic fungi: physiology, integrated multi-omics, and environmental competence” aims to investigate, at the genetic and molecular levels, the various processes through which the fungi interact with plants and pests. Of particular interest are the specific conditions under which they form beneficial relationships and the adaptation strategies that allow the fungi to survive—or even thrive—in various environments. The project will combine various approaches from ecology, physiology, genetics, and cell analysis to develop the most effective products possible.

The project, which is funded with more than €700,000 brings together leading European universities and research institutes from Germany, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. It is led by Prof. Dr. Bianka Siewert, Professor of Pharmaceutical Biology and research group leader in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Hamburg. Within the network, doctoral researchers, postdocs, technical assistants, and researchers will actively seek dialogue with the agricultural sector and industry to contribute to safer and more sustainable plant protection, reduce the use of chemical pesticides, promote biodiversity, and create new economic opportunities in the field of biopesticides.