Volha Chukhutsina from the Biophysics of Photosynthesis section has received funding for CYANOSPECTRA, a valorisation project that will develop technologies for the early detection of toxic cyanobacteria in freshwater ecosystems.
Toxic cyanobacterial blooms are a growing global threat to freshwater quality. They can contaminate drinking-water sources, disrupt agriculture and fisheries, harm aquatic ecosystems, and lead to the closure of recreational waters. Yet blooms are often detected only once they become visible, when their effects may already be difficult to manage.
The project, CYANOSPECTRA: Early Detection of Toxic Cyanobacteria in Aquatic Ecosystems for Enhanced Water Quality Management, is funded through the IBVU Centrale Beleidsmiddelen 2027 programme. Within VU, the project is a collaboration with Joris Koene and Niels de Winter from the Faculty of Science.
CYANOSPECTRA aims to develop novel technologies that detect toxic cyanobacteria at an earlier stage. This could provide water managers with timely information to support targeted interventions before a bloom takes hold, helping to protect water quality, public health and freshwater ecosystems.