Project description
Engineering production of fungal biofuel
European goals to increase the share of environment friendly, renewable sources in energy production and achieving independence from crude oil and hydrocarbons represent the most urgent goals in the present agenda. Recently, the conversion of plant biomass to biofuels, especially saprobic microorganisms like filamentous fungi of the genus Aspergillus, has emerged as a hopeful route to alternative green energy. Unfortunately, a glucose accumulation during enzymatic hydrolysis of plant biomass results in transcriptional repression of genes coding for fungal enzymes and secretion that must be overcome. The EU-funded NURoFE project proposes a fellowship to explore new proteins enabling regulation of hydrolytic enzymes and secondary metabolites production in filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans for biotechnological processes.
Objective
The dependence of mankind on petroleum- and oil-based fuels as the main energy source is widely recognised as being accompanied by several problems that impact the global economy and environmental health. In recent years, the conversion of plant biomass to biofuels, in a process called 1st- (1G) and 2nd-generation (2G) biofuel-production, has gained significant interest as an environmentally friendly and naturally abundant alternative, renewable energy source. The EU (European Union) legislation implements that by 2020, 20% of energy must be derived from renewable sources, showing the importance that renewable energy source production will play in the future. Saprobic microorganisms, such as filamentous fungi of the genus Aspergillus, are of particular interest for this process as they secrete a vast array of plant biomass hydrolyzing enzymes. A major drawback in the production of renewable biofuels is built-up of glucose during enzymatic hydrolysis of plant biomass, resulting in the transcriptional repression of fungal enzyme-encoding genes and subsequent secretion. The here described fellowship is proposing to uncover novel proteins involved in the regulation of hydrolytic enzymes and secondary metabolites production in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans that can be explored for biotechnological processes. To implement this project, the candidate will be hosted at the National University of Ireland in Maynooth in the laboratory of Fungal Genetics and Secondary Metabolism, under the supervision of Dr. Ozgur Bayram.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics
- medical and health sciences health sciences public health
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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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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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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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.
W23 Maynooth
Ireland
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.