Projet COMENZE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Doctoral Networks
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Polymeric materials are ubiquitous in our daily lives but they have a predominantly fossil origin, with low degradability at their end-of- life. Transitioning to a circular polymer economy requires a rethinking of the entire value chain, from the raw materials, tools, and processes used to polymer design degradation and recycling. Enzymes are eco-friendly and sustainable tools that tackle many industrial applications. However, biocatalysis in the polymer field remains mostly unexplored due to i) enzymes’ high cost and low stability under reaction conditions, ii) enzymes’ inefficiency in converting bio-based monomers into cost-effective building blocks, and iii) lack of knowledge in key enzyme-polymer interactions that can control the final polymer performance and degradability features. Computational tools have shown immense power to revolutionize the field of enzyme engineering in a time and cost effective way. However, there is currently a clear lack of researchers combining computational and experimental skills, capable of determining future directions for the optimization of biocatalytic processes for the sustainable molecular design of polymers. To foster the transition to a bio-based polymer industry, COMENZE aims to develop enzymatic strategies for improving the eco-design and development of future sustainable polymers. This will be achieved by combining cutting-edge computational and experimental approaches for enzyme discovery and engineering through in-silico modeling, simulation, and translation of results into wet labs to validate enzymatic reactions. COMENZE will train the next generation of researchers by equipping 10 DCs with the skills to revolutionize the polymer circularity by delivering new optimized enzymes and bioprocesses, newly identified bio-based building blocks, and functionalized polymers with innovative bio-upcycling and biodegradation end-of-life options.

Mots clés : lignocellulose, lignin valorization, biorefinery, green chemistry, enzymes, biocatalysis, protein engineering, computational biochemistry

Participants :
- Zymvol biomodeling sl (Espagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 251971.2 €
- Aachen proteineers gmbh (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Université technique Carolo-Wilhelmina de Brunswick (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 260539.2 €
- Metgen oy (Finlande) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Gérone (Espagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 251971.2 €
- Gecco biotech bv (Pays-Bas) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 274370.4 €
- BASF (Germany) (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 260539.2 €
- Leibniz-Gemeinschaft (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 260539.2 €
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université nouvelle de Lisbonne (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 243403.2 €
- Université de Pavie (Italie) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 259437.6 €
- École polytechnique de Silésie (Pologne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 226512.0 €
- Université de Groningue (Pays-Bas) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 274370.4 €