Additional project funding under R’Life Academy Programme boosted molecular biology research

The Molecular Regulatory Networks of Life R'Life Academy Programme examined how different mechanisms create contacts between the different parts and genetic networks of an organism’s genome, and how these connections control life functions. The goal of the programme was to gain a broader understanding of a genome’s functioning and structure and to produce meaningful and comprehensive data on the regulatory networks that control the functioning of cells, tissue, plant tissue and individuals. The programme combined new tools for molecular biology and bioinformatics, in addition to which one key objective was to use the existing research infrastructure to support research activity.

The R’Life programme funded seven research consortia and eight individual research teams. The consortia, which consisted of several research teams, were granted 6 million euros in total funding. The individual research teams, on the other hand, received additional funding to expand their ongoing projects.

In April 2024, we interviewed the project leads of six projects that had received additional funding through the R’Life programme. The interviews focused on the special features of the funding scheme, the progress of the projects and the outlook for the future.

Varied research topics – many shared research methods

The R'Life programme focused on the introduction of new molecular biological methods. The funded projects covered a wide range of topics on the cellular, tissue and individual levels from cancer genes to woodland strawberries and from sperm cells to the wood tiger moth. The research results were therefore also varied.

While the projects had different research topics, they shared a molecular biology approach and, in most cases, a computational analysis of research results using bioinformatics methods. This is well reflected in the word cloud formed from project keywords.

Additional funding made it possible to expand and deepen projects

The majority of the interviewed project leads saw the additional funding specifically as an extension of the original project rather than a completely new initiative. Interesting research questions requiring additional resources had often been identified during the original projects.

The additional funding allowed researchers to focus on these questions by, for example, introducing new research methods, acquiring and expanding the necessary research data and by recruiting additional staff.

Data collected previously was helpful in evaluating the feasibility of expansion, and many researchers felt that the R’Life programme’s application process was timed perfectly for their own project.

One project lead described their experience in this way:

“The project was an expansion of the previous project – we realised that we needed much more material than we had originally planned. With the additional funding, we were able to collect all the required time points. The original funding and staff wouldn’t have been enough. Now, our database is huge.”

Interviewees also praised the application process for additional funding for allowing them to take more risks in their research:

“We were able to take slightly more risks than in a standard project, which is also reflected in the outcome. We identified some interesting topics, but the time period (three years) is a bit too short to take big risks.”

Covid’s effects on research activity

The funding period for all R’Life projects started in January 2020, which meant that the projects had to account for the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic very quickly in their recruitment and methods; laboratory work cannot typically be done remotely from home.

However, the programme’s additional projects demonstrated excellent adaptability during the challenging circumstances caused by the pandemic. For the most part, the projects were able to keep to the planned schedule and act in accordance with their objectives

The pandemic also significantly complicated the organisation of R'Life programme events. Researchers praised the programme seminars organised after the pandemic that allowed for in-person participation. Even in a small country, a programme that funded many different types of projects brought together researchers who did not yet know each other from other contexts. Networking also promoted the exchanging of new ideas.

Effects and impact of research: from understanding biological systems to a wide range of applications

The R’Life programme has supported research in molecular biology in a way that expands our understanding of the mechanisms that control the functioning of cells and individuals. In the future, this will also enable a wide range of applications for promoting human health and, for example, enhancing the production of useful plants or preserving biodiversity.

As the Covid-19 pandemic has shown, it is often entirely impossible to predict what specific knowledge of an issue or phenomenon will bring concrete benefits in the future.

Understanding how the factors related to a cancer gene work could allow us to identify types of cancer more accurately and earlier. It could also allow for more individually tailored treatment methods that would have fewer side effects on patients. Similarly, understanding how smooth muscle cells contribute to the development of coronary artery disease could enable both the better prevention of the disease and new, individually tailored forms of treatment. Knowledge of male reproductive biology can help develop better fertility treatments for infertility. In ecology and evolutionary biology, understanding the factors that lead to genetic diversity can help us understand how biodiversity is formed. Understanding the diversity among different species, on the other hand, could prove useful, for example, in developing forms of control targeting specific plant pests while improving the effectiveness of control and reducing its adverse effects on other plants and animals.

The researchers who received additional project funding through the application process were at different points in their careers, and the sizes of their research teams as well as the number of their concurrent projects varied. As can be expected, in general, the R’Life Academy Programme had a more direct guiding impact on research conducted by smaller teams that focused on only a few projects at a time. However, the leads of larger teams also mentioned that funding received for project expansion had allowed them to break new ground. Many R’Life project leads had already secured additional competitive funding from EU or domestic sources to continue their projects. This proves that the programme was able to create a solid foundation for future research projects as well.