Objective
Plastic pollution is a critical global challenge, and bio-based biodegradable plastics like polylactic acid (PLA) are increasingly used to replace fossil-derived materials. However, PLA degrades slowly under industrial composting conditions, limiting its environmental impact. Highly efficient, thermostable plastic-degrading enzymes (PDEs) could enable faster PLA breakdown and support more scalable waste management solutions.
To date, enzyme engineering for plastic degradation has relied on X-ray crystallography to guide design, but this approach struggles with sub-micron crystals, insoluble polymer substrates, and limited hydrogen contrast, particularly for mapping polymer–enzyme interactions. As a result, no true substrate-bound PDE structures are available, restricting mechanistic understanding and slowing industrial enzyme development.
This project pioneers the use of electron diffraction (microED) in PDE research. MicroED enables high-resolution structures from nanocrystals, offers stronger hydrogen contrast, and facilitates more effective ligand soaking, making it uniquely suited to resolve substrate-bound enzyme complexes.
IMPEDE will: (1) produce, screen, and engineer PLA-degrading enzymes from underexplored families; (2) solve new PDE structures using MicroED; and (3) obtain the first substrate-bound PDE structures with true plastic ligands. Engineered enzymes will be assessed for improved activity and thermostability under industrially relevant conditions.
Expected outcomes include novel industrial biocatalysts for PLA and blends, high-value structural data for protein design, and a robust MicroED workflow to accelerate future enzyme discovery. Environmental benefits include faster bioplastic degradation, reduced landfill and marine accumulation, and alignment with EU 2050 climate neutrality goals. From an industrial perspective, these enzymes could drive adoption of bioplastics by improving end-of-life processing economics and reliability.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology biomaterials bioplastics polylactic acid
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences geology mineralogy crystallography
- natural sciences chemical sciences polymer sciences
- natural sciences mathematics pure mathematics mathematical analysis differential equations partial differential equations
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management waste treatment processes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.