{"links":{"self":"http://dataportal.arc.gov.au/NCGP/API/grants/DE260101877"},"data":{"type":"grant-details","id":"DE260101877","attributes":{"code":"DE260101877","administering-organisation":"Flinders University","announcement-administering-organisation":"Flinders University","scheme-name":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","grant-status":"Active","funding-commencement-year":2026,"years-funded":3,"project-start-date":"2026-06-02","anticipated-end-date":"2029-06-01","grant-summary":"Unearthing the critical roles of microbiomes in soil health. This project aims to bring a transformational advance in soil health knowledge by reconceptualising our understanding of the functional roles of microbial communities through quantifying their genomic capacity to process an array of compounds. This work expects to generate new knowledge of the compound processing potential of microbiomes in different soils and ecosystems, and develop leading indicators of soil carbon trajectories. Transforming microbiome functional analysis through this new compound-oriented approach will improve insights to the roles of microbiomes in sustainable agriculture, food security, ecosystem restoration, human health, bioprospecting and management that improves soil health and resilience under global change.","funding-current":534320.00,"funding-at-announcement":530079,"investigators-current":[{"title":"Dr","firstName":"Craig","familyName":"Liddicoat","roleName":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","roleCode":"DECRA","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0002-4812-7524 "}],"investigators-at-announcement":[{"title":"Dr","firstName":"Craig","familyName":"Liddicoat","roleName":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","roleCode":"DECRA","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0002-4812-7524 "}],"organisations-current":[{"organisationName":"Flinders University","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"SA"}],"organisations-at-announcement":[{"organisationName":"Flinders University","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"SA"}],"field-of-research":[{"isPrimary":false,"code":"310703","name":"Microbial Ecology","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":true,"code":"4106","name":"Soil Sciences","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"410603","name":"Soil Biology","type":"FOR20"}],"socio-economic-objective":[{"code":"180601","name":"Assessment and Management of Terrestrial Ecosystems","type":"SEO20"},{"code":"180606","name":"Terrestrial Biodiversity","type":"SEO20"}],"international-collaboration":["Germany","Netherlands"],"lief-register":[],"achievement-summary":null,"national-interest-test-statement":"Microbes are ubiquitous and play essential roles in maintaining the health of soil, land, and water while supporting food security, environmental resilience, and human well-being. Despite their significance, a substantial knowledge gap remains in understanding the functional potential of microbiomes across these domains - knowledge that is essential for harnessing microbes for our benefit. For instance, in soil health, the specific contributions of microbiomes to carbon decomposition versus sequestration remain unclear. In many microbial ecosystems, research has focused more on the chemical compounds microbes produce or utilise than on the vast diversity of poorly characterised microbial taxa. This project seeks to bridge this critical gap by revolutionising functional microbiome analysis. By quantifying the genomic potential of microbial communities to metabolise various chemical compounds, and how this varies across different soil environments, we aim to develop real-time indicators of soil carbon sequestration trajectories currently measurable only over 5 to 10 years. The findings will provide new insights and open-source methodologies to uncover microbiome functions, benefiting applications in sustainable agriculture, soil health, carbon management, ecosystem restoration, medical research, and nature-based health solutions. Through established networks, these advancements will drive innovation in microbial science for long-term environmental and human benefits."}}}