Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute

Fundamental and applied research 

The Westerdijk Institute (WI-KNAW) is a place where fundamental and applied research is conducted on evolutionary biology, taxonomy, biodiversity and the use of fungi to solve socially relevant questions. A wide range of molecular, genetic, biochemical and microscopic methods are used in this research. Together with other knowledge institutions, societal partners and industry, it generates and shares scientific knowledge to answer socially relevant questions. 

World-renowned biobank 

The world-renowned biobank of living filamentous fungi and yeasts, as well as the national bacterial collection, form the core of the Westerdijk Institute. Key objectives of the Westerdijk Institute are to generate reference genomes and MALDI-TOF spectra of fungi and yeasts, which are essential for agriculture, industry, medical research, development, diagnostics and education. Further implementation of AI will pave the way for the future by enabling new insights into food safety, sustainable food sources, antimicrobial resistance and the application of fungi in biotechnology.