The overall goal of this project is to conduct fundamental research on lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and propionibacteria (PAB) and to exploit this research for the benefit of the food, medicinal and agricultural industry. To achieve this we will address the following four research themes, (1) metabolism and gene regulation, (2) genetic tools, (3) food-grade cell factories, (4) better fermentations and hurdle technologies, for three important types of Gram-positive bacteria, certain lactobacilli, Streptococc us thermophilus, and propionibacteria. Despite their large economic importance these groups, especially the latter two, are less well studied and less genetically accessible than the "prototype" LAB, Lactococcus lactis. The project is based on exploiting the large expertise of the applicants in molecular microbiology of LAB (and Gram+ microorganisms in general) and state-of-the-art techniques in functional genomics and bioinformatics. The project will have a strong focus on themes that are relevant for industry, aiming at bringing the results of fundamental research from the laboratory to application. Thus, the applicants aim at keeping and strengthening their positions as important players in the lactic acid bacteria field, while simultaneously exploiting this position for studying “new”, important organisms and for development of applications