Objective
PHYTOLOOP is a deep-tech biomanufacturing project by Kanara (Vulkania Labs S.L.) that enables the sustainable, traceable and scalable production of high-value plant-derived Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) from endangered and endemic species, starting with the Canary Islands’ unique flora. The project replaces destructive wild harvesting and inefficient agricultural extraction with a modular, AI-assisted in-vitro platform that cultivates plant cells in closed bioreactors under fully controlled, sterile conditions.
The approach integrates AI-driven optimisation, advanced plant biotechnology and automated bioreactors to drastically reduce trial-and-error in media formulation and process control, achieving ≥50 % fewer optimisation cycles, ≥20 % lower production cost and reproducible yields with <10 % batch variability. By maintaining elite, high-yielding cell lines ex-situ, the system ensures perpetual access to valuable APIs while conserving biodiversity.
Over 24 months, PHYTOLOOP will evolve from TRL 4 to TRL 6, delivering a validated 50 L automated pilot line and a regulatory-ready platform for pharmaceutical adoption. The project includes four technical and business objectives:
1. Establish stable in-vitro cell lines from at least three endangered endemic species;
2. Integrate and automate the full pilot-scale bioprocess;
3. Validate market demand through Letters of Intent and an investor-ready data room;
4. Define GMP and industrialisation roadmaps for post-project pilots.
Backed by confirmed LOIs from pharma and institutional partners (Adventia Pharma, MOEVE, CSIC, ICIA) and co-funded 30 % by Kanara, PHYTOLOOP anchors a new biodiversity-based bio-industry in the Canary Islands, strengthening EU strategic autonomy in APIs while creating a replicable, nature-positive model of industrial biotechnology.
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
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs
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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.4.1 - Widening participation and spreading excellence
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-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions
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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-WIDERA-2025-02
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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.
38390 SANTA URSULA SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
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.