Advancing foraminiferal research for science & art

The Paul Brönnimann Foundation was established in 1993 with the objective to support research on the micropaleontology and biology of foraminifera. The Foundation particularly encourages the study of modern foraminifera, including non-fossilized species, which are not very well known even to specialists. We promote the use of genetic and genomic techniques for studying the diversity of living foraminifera, reconstructing their evolutionary relationships and revising their classification. More broadly, we seek to stimulate the interest in foraminifera of artists who are inspired by the natural world.

In 2014-2015, the Foundation will support projects concerning the integrated taxonomy of modern foraminifera. Its aim is to link traditional morphotaxonomy and molecular data for the description of new foraminiferal species, taxonomic revisions and other studies of foraminiferal diversity. The Foundation will facilitate access to molecular systematic tools, by providing a platform to obtain genetic data and assisting in their analysis. It can also help with the collection of samples and documentation of the morphology of examined species.

News


Call for projects in integrated taxonomy - grants awarded.
published on 16 January 2015

The Paul Brönnimann Foundation is happy to announce that the Call for projects has raised considerable interest among researchers from all over the world. A number of very good submissions was received from Brazil, Chile, China, Cuba, Egypt, Germany, India and Italy. It's wonderful to see the growth in research on integrated taxonomy of forams. The Foundation is delighted to provide necessary access to new genetic tools and is expecting to have some very interesting results to contributing to the knowledge of the diversity of recent forams and their evolution.

All news

Foram artworks


Our artwork gallery presents photos, drawings, poems or any other artwork inspired by the intrinsic beauty of foraminiferal tests, their varied and uncommon forms and particular life traits.

Artwork gallery