Broadening the spectrum of robust enzymes and microbial hosts in industrial biotechnology

The overall scope focuses on widening the range of known robust enzymatic catalysts and industrial microbial hosts,[[Microbial-hosts: both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms such as fungi.]] as well as on the potential of scaling up their deployment and thus exploring their potential to offer significant gains in bio-based processes and their flexibility against variable process parameters, namely: resource efficiency, energy efficiency and other process metrics. These efforts will then eventually aim for development of novel, or significantly optimised, sustainable (bio-based) processes and products (e.g. chemicals, materials).

Proposals should address:

• Identification and bioprospecting of novel natural enzymes and/or microbial hosts, including though the use of existing sequencing data, from all types of environments (especially terrestrial but also marine).[[For marine environments, please consider any relevant past or ongoing topics under heading ‘Innovating for blue bioeconomy and biotechnology value chains (e.g. HORIZON-CL6-2024-CircBio-01-10: Targeting aquatic extremophiles for sourcing novel enzymes, drugs, metabolites and chemicals]] The identified solutions must especially address extreme habitats (relevant to bio-based processes conditions/ challenges-see next point).
• Optimisation of enzymes’ and/or microbial hosts’ properties for industrial use, addressing (bio-based) process conditions barriers. Such barriers comprise of physical parameters (e.g. temperature, pH) and chemical parameters/stressors (e.g. solvents, variable biomass feedstock composition, contaminants etc.). Optimisation efforts may include understanding, modification and control of microbial hosts and enzymes, (e.g. via Synthetic Biology methodologies).
• Testing and demonstrating of novel concepts for industrial enzyme-catalysed or microbial host-based processes (e.g. engineering of enzyme cascades/multi-enzyme reactions, co-factor regeneration, broader range of functional activity etc.) to valorise biomass and produce high-value bio-based products.
• Demonstrating optimised process design, development and control aspects, with considerations for implementation of automation, integration of unit operations, robust and precise process analytical technologies (PAT), and the horizontal incorporation of enabling digital technologies, where necessary for improving process efficiency but also achieving environmental performance improvements.
• Assessment of the tested, optimized enzyme-catalysed or microbial host-based processes with respect to biotechnological, economic, environmental performance (lifecycle assessment) as well as safety parameters and standards.
• Linking to the ongoing work on sustainability improvements via industrial biotechnology[[ See parallel topic HORIZON-CL6-2023-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-5: Industrial biotechnology approaches for improved sustainability and output of industrial bio-based processes.]], if underpinned by the thematic focus on enzymes.
• Beneficiaries should pay attention to the delivery of FAIR data, results and methodologies.

Where relevant, proposals should overall seek links and synergies as well as capitalise on the results of past and ongoing EU research projects[[ In particular Horizon 2020 call FNR-16-2020 topic ‘Enzymes for more environment-friendly consumer products’, H2020-FNR-16-2020 projects, such as: EnXylaScope – ‘Mining Microbes and Developing Advanced Production Platforms for Novel Enzymes To Rapidly Unleash Xylans’ Potential In a Scope Of Products For the Consumer Market; FuturEnzyme - Technologies of the Future for Low-Cost Enzymes for Environment-Friendly Products, RADICALZ ‘Rapid discovery and development of enzymes for novel and greener consumer products’.]] of Horizon 2020, LIFE, Horizon Europe (including the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) /Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU)).

Proposals should also include a dedicated task, appropriate resources and a plan on how they will collaborate with other projects funded under this topic and other relevant topics.

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.