Acronym: X-PRESS
Project ID: 3604
Funding: Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (ΕΛΙΔΕΚ), 2nd Call for H.F.R.I. Research Projects for the Support of Faculty Members and Researchers
Duration: 01/2022 - 07/2025
Project Summary: The X-PRESS project (EXtreme environments: High PRESsure Sampling and experimentation system for deep-sea hydrocarbon releases), led by the Institute of Geoenergy of FORTH and funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI), developed Greece’s first fully operational high-pressure sampling and experimentation platform for deep-sea microbiology. Designed to preserve the extreme hydrostatic pressure conditions of the deep ocean, the X-PRESS system enables seawater collection from depths of up to 6,000 m and seamless transfer into linked laboratory incubation vessels without decompression, allowing scientists to study pressure-adapted microorganisms under true in situ conditions. Developed in collaboration with Top Industrie and tested with the support of HCMR and ELGO-DIMITRA Fisheries Research Institute, the infrastructure now supports advanced research on deep-sea microbial communities of the Eastern Mediterranean. Within X-PRESS, the system supported experimental work to explore the remarkable capacity of deep-sea microbes to degrade oil under extreme conditions and investigate their potential as sources of biosurfactants, novel enzymes, and other bioactive compounds with applications in environmental bioremediation and sustainable biotechnology.
INSTITUTE MEMBERS: Evina Gontikaki
Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (ΕΛΙΔΕΚ), 2nd Call for H.F.R.I. Research Projects for the Support of Faculty Members and Researchers
