As part of the Non-Conventional Yeasts (NCY) diversity project – funded by the European Union (NextGenerationEU – PRIN PNRR 2022) – a scientific meeting entitled “Mining Non-Conventional Yeast Biodiversity” will be held on 17th February 2026.

The event will focus on the exploration and exploitation of unconventional yeasts as key bioresources for innovation in fermented food and beverage sectors.
The initiative has been promoted by the Universities of Verona, Perugia and Basilicata and will bring together international experts in genomics, bioinformatics, microbial ecology and food biotechnology to discuss genome-resolved and metataxonomic approaches as bioprospecting tools for the discovery, characterisation and exploitation of yeast biodiversity, with a particular focus on non-Saccharomyces yeasts and emerging taxa such as the genus Mrakia.

Through contributions ranging from microbial biodiversity and genomic characterisation to metabolic modelling, industrial applications and microbial culture collections as strategic infrastructures, the event aims to foster the integration of knowledge and promote innovation in sustainable food systems and the bioeconomy.