OPATHY coordinator and CRG group leader Toni Gabaldón has been awarded with the prestigious consolidator grant of the European Research Council (ERC). In this 5-years project  Toni Gabaldon will focus on processes of non-vertical evolution in eukaryotes, this includes processes such as lateral gene transfer or hybridization between different species. Of note some emerging Candida pathogens, such as Candida orthopsilosis and C. metapsilosis have numerous hybrids, which are the focus of some Opathy ESRs.