With March 1st the HRSM (Hochschulraumstrukturmittel) project has been launched. The project is funded with 1 Million Euro by the Ministry of Science, Research and Economy and aims at developing DNA barcoding pipelines for ABOL at universities. Commendably, the University of Graz has taken the leadership. Project partners are the University of Vienna, the University of Salzburg, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, and the University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna. Thus, we are able to announce that the overall ABOL project has successfully started before the end of the pilot phase. However, this does not mean we may rest on our laurels – many smaller and larger projects have to be initiated to reach our long-term target, the establishment of DNA barcodes for all animal, fungi as well as plant species of Austria that these eventually can be utilized for diverse applications. To reach this goal we need the cooperation of all experts and institutions who address biodiversity!
