Welcome To PlantaSYST

The overall objective of the PlantaSYST project was to establish the Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology (CPSBB) in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, through a joint initiative involving research institutions and laboratories based in Plovdiv (Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology, Maritsa Vegetable Crops Research Institute, the Stefan Angeloff Institute of Microbiology, the Laboratory of Metabolomics, and the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology) and two partner institutions in Potsdam, Germany (the University of Potsdam and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology).

The ambition of CPSBB was to position itself at the forefront of plant science in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe by integrating expertise in molecular biology, functional genomics, metabolomics, bioinformatics, and bioprocessing with long-standing experience in practical plant genetics and breeding. This multidisciplinary approach aimed to advance the understanding of plant biology and translate scientific knowledge into new horticultural and industrial applications. In this way, the newly established CPSBB helped address the scientific and technological gaps identified in Bulgaria’s Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3). In addition, CPSBB played a leading role in training the next generation of early-stage researchers (ESRs) in molecular breeding, plant systems biology, and biotechnology.