Recruitment: Ten fully funded Doctoral Candidates (DCs) and one non-funded DC have been successfully recruited for the MemFast MSCA-DN. All candidates are enrolled in their respective doctoral programmes, and their research and training activities are progressing in a full-fledged manner.
Kick-off and Mid-term Meetings: The project kick-off meeting was held on 23 January 2025. During this meeting, the Supervisory Board, Project Management Team, Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Committee (CDEC), and the Doctoral Candidates Committee were established. Steering Board meetings was held to initiate and coordinate the activities of the MemFast consortium. The Mid-term Meeting took place at the FCT NOVA Campus in Lisbon on 1 April 2025. Additionally, a consortium meeting was held online on 3 November 2025 via Microsoft Teams to monitor the progress of the DCs. All committees also convened during both meetings.
Career Development Plans: A detailed Career Development Plan has been prepared for each DC. Supervisors review and monitor progress on a regular basis to ensure alignment with training objectives and research goals.
Courses and Trainings: Three out of the six planned training schools have been organised (hosted by LUT, UNL, and UT). The remaining courses will be conducted as scheduled.
Secondments: Secondments are planned to commence in spring 2026.
Scientific Work
All DCs are actively working toward achieving the scientific objectives of the MemFast project:
WP2: Development of novel biomass-based membranes and/or advanced membranes with tailored functionalities for biorefinery applications. Target properties include low fouling tendency, fine-tuned selectivity, high resistance to biorefinery operating conditions and high filtration capacity.
WP3: Advancement of understanding of solute–membrane interactions in biorefinery streams. This knowledge will support the creation of models and innovative monitoring tools for fouling detection and performance prediction.
WP4: Development of novel, high‑performance hybrid and intensified processes combining bioprocessing, material science, and membrane technology. The aim is to enable continuous, cost-efficient biotransformation of bio-based building blocks into value-added products, with improvements in resource, energy, and cost efficiency by enabling simultaneous conversion and recovery of target compounds, closing solvent and water cycles, and recycling biocatalysts.
Overall, the work is progressing in a fully satisfactory manner, and the current status is documented in the technical report.
