Project description
Enabling sustainable bioproduction
To achieve sustainable chemical production and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, innovative biotechnology is necessary. While traditional sugar-based microbial systems face limitations in scalability and efficiency, promising alternatives – phototrophic microbes – are hampered by slow growth rates and low product yield. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the YarroSynLight project aims to convert Yarrowia lipolytica into a photoautotrophic industrial platform by combining synthetic carbon fixation with light-driven energy production. The approach involves four key steps: developing a stable photo-chassis, connecting energy with carbon fixation, optimising efficiency, and converting carbon into valuable biochemical products. To ensure the process is robust, economical and sustainable, these steps will be validated using simulated flue gas in scalable bioreactors.
Objective
The accelerating climate and energy crisis, driven by rising CO2 emissions and fossil fuel depletion, highlights the urgent need for renewable solutions. Disruptive biotechnologies are required to both mitigate greenhouse gases and enable sustainable chemical production. Conventional microbial production systems rely on sugar-based feedstocks, which face scalability and efficiency constraints. Phototrophic microbes such as cyanobacteria offer an alternative but remain limited by slow growth, low productivity, and genetic intractability. The objective of YarroSynLight is to establish Yarrowia lipolytica as a novel photoautotrophic platform organism by integrating light-driven energy generation with synthetic carbon fixation, thereby creating a carbon-negative microbial cell factory. This will be achieved through a structured work plan: building a robust phototrophic chassis, coupling energy and carbon assimilation pathways, optimising metabolic fluxes with systems-level tools, and directing assimilated carbon toward high-value biochemical production. These steps will be validated under scalable bioreactor conditions using simulated flue gas, ensuring robustness, techno-economic feasibility, and environmental relevance. The project aligns closely with the MSCA Work Programme by addressing pressing climate challenges while equipping the researcher with advanced skills in synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and bioprocess development. Training, mentoring, and two-way knowledge transfer at Imperial College London will support career independence, while dissemination, outreach, and engagement with stakeholders will maximise impact. Ultimately, YarroSynLight will deliver a transformative route for solar-powered, carbon-negative biomanufacturing, contributing directly to the European Green Deal and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
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 environmental biotechnology bioremediation bioreactors
- social sciences economics and business economics production economics productivity
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
You need to log in or register to use this function
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.
-
HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
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
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
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.
SW7 2AZ London
United Kingdom
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.