EVOLVE
EVOLVE – Translating extracellular vesicle communication into AI-guided breeding and smart biofertilisation
EVOLVE explores how wheat plants communicate with soil microbes through tiny extracellular vesicles. By decoding these signals, we aim to breed more resilient, nutrient-efficient wheat and develop new bio-based fertilisers that reduce nitrogen losses and climate impact.
Key facts
- Programme: Horizon Europe – EIC Pathfinder Challenge “Biotech for Climate Resilient Crops and Plant-Based Biomanufacturing”
- Grant agreement: 101307269
- Duration: 36 months, 1.10.2026 – 30.09.2029
- Budget: €4.26 million
- Consortium: 8 partners from 7 countries
- Coordinator: Aarhus University, Denmark
Decoding plant–microbe communication
Plant roots release tiny vesicles carrying small RNAs and metabolites. We study how wheat uses these signals to shape the soil microbes that help it cope with drought and nutrient shortage.
Smart biofertilisation
We develop synthetic, biodegradable vesicles and algae-based bio-inputs that deliver these signals to roots and soil microbes, reducing the need for chemical fertilisers.
AI-guided breeding
AI models combine plant, vesicle and microbiome data to pick the best wheat parents for breeding. Doubled haploid technology then fixes the selected traits in a fraction of the usual time.
Grant agreement No 101307269. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.