- Seven universities and five industrial partners from five European countries to cooperate in the project.
- The European Commission has awarded €2.7 million to the H2020 project «BIOCASCADES – Sustainable and Scalable Biocatalytic Cascade Reactions Training Network».
The project is under the Marie Skłodowska- Curie Innovative Training Networks, specifically in the category of European Industrial Doctorates (ITN-EID). Junior Professor Dr. Robert Kourist, from the Microbial Biotechnology group of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), coordinates the project. There are 12 partners representing a well-balanced mix of 7 Universities (Bochum, Bielefeld, KTH-Stockholm, Oviedo, Greifswald, Graz and Braunschweig), and 5 companies (DSM, Saromics Biostructures, Viazym, Enzymicals and EntreChem) from 5 different countries.
As part of the program, a research network of 11 young scientists (Early Stage Researchers, ESRs) will be trained to earn doctorate degrees and to work in the biotechnology sector. The 11 ESRs will perform research in leading European research institutes, as well as with industry partners. They will be trained in special workshops focused on technical issues, project management, patent writing, teamwork, and to promote entrepreneurial attitude of the new recruits.
BIOCASCADES aims to develop new enzymatic reaction cascades, that could be applied to pharmaceutical intermediates, especially those bearing chiral centers and that require preparation of only one isomer thus developing processes for optically pure substances. The project will develop reactions that will bring closer the promise of cheaper and more energy-efficient as well as greener, and leaner processes.
EntreChem SL is focused on the discovery and development of new drugs by bacterial genetic engineering and biocatalysis, and maintains collaborations with high-level academic labs in Europe and the USA for oncology development.
More information:
www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/ngkourist/biocascades.html.en
Jun.-Prof. Dr. Robert Kourist
Department of biology and biotechnology
Ruhr-Universität, 44780 Bochum, Germany
Tel. 0234/32-25029 · robert.kourist@rub.de
EntreChem SL: www.entrechem.com
