Chilean researcher studies endemic fungi in Europe for new antibiotics

Chilean researcher Paula Núñez is working at the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute in Utrecht, Netherlands, to study 160 endemic fungi from southern Chile. Her goal is to identify molecules with antibacterial activity that could lead to the development of new antibiotics.

Núñez is one of 1,610 researchers awarded the competitive Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) fellowship for 2025. The European Commission reported a record-breaking 21,627 applications this year, with a total budget of 399.05 million euros. While 93.1% of the funding is allocated to European research, 6.9% is designated for researchers from third countries.

Latin American participation in the application process was notable, with Brazil accounting for 4.51% and Mexico for 2.29% of total applications. Researchers from Chile, Colombia, and Argentina also contributed approximately 2% each.