The INTERfaces program will train 14 ESRs within an EID network jointly designed by European academic and industry partners in innovative research projects dedicated to developing clean bioprocesses for the production of chemicals. The assembly of biocatalysts to reaction sequences allows avoiding steps for isolation and purification of intermediates and thus a significant improvement of the environmental footprint of catalytic processes. The main goal of INTERfaces is the extension of this concept towards multi-step biocatalytic reactions in immobilized form. These “Heterogeneous Biocatalytic Reaction Cascades” will greatly facilitate re-use of the catalysts and further simplify downstream-processing. INTERfaces combines material science and protein engineering to design tailored enzymes and (bio-based) materials that will complement each other to obtain optimized heterogeneous biocatalysts. These tools will be applied to solve synthetic challenges in the use of two biobased monomers as starting materials to synthesize products for application fields like antioxidants and biopolymers. Process optimization and up-scale in industry will reveal key factors for synthetic utilization of the biocatalysts. INTERfaces emphasizes particularly the engineering of the designed cascades in solid phase. This includes the design of reactors, use of computational modeling tools, application of the right operational modes, and reaction medium needed for desired space-time-yields and product titers. Commercial relevant processes will be up-scaled together with industry for technical implementation. 13 Non-academic partners ranging from high-tech SMEs to large producing companies and 9 academic institutions offer an intersectoral and interdisciplinary environment to provide 14 Ph.D. candidates with outstanding employability profiles for the European Biotech Sector. Dedicated workshops and well-balanced supervisory team aim at increasing the gender diversity in biotech research.

The PEFerence project will establish a globally first-of-a-kind, industrial scale (5 000 tonnes/year), cost-effective FDCA (diacid) biorefinery flagship plant producing bio-based chemicals and materials (bottles, films, Lego Bricks, polyurethanes) using also existing facilities in industrial symbiosis. The consortium aims to replace a significant part of fossil based polyesters (such as PET), but also technologically superior packaging materials like glass and aluminum with 100 % bio-based polyesters (such as PEF). The unique properties of PEF (excellent barrier and strength) make it a material that can be applied in areas where PET is less suitable. The initial market focus will be on high value applications such as replacement of multilayer packaging, aluminum cans and small size PET bottles where PEF brings most value. On the longer term, when FDCA is produced at large scale and technology is further matured, FDCA based polyesters are expected to penetrate further into markets which allow smaller or no price premium. The potential significant reductions in non-renewable energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil based PET or aluminum based cans for PEF based packaging solutions will be assessed. Furthermore, PEF bottles can be recycled and used again as raw material for bottles, as well as in a cascading approach for packaging and textiles. During the project, fructose produced via an enzymatic isomerisation process from 2nd generation glucose will be assessed. The full value chain will be optimized ensuring cost-effective and environmentally sustainable raw material sourcing and production of FDCA, PEF/PBF and polyurethane products. Finally, together with customers and brand owners (Lego, Nestle), 100% bio-based end-products will be demonstrated and validated to ensure fast market deployment.

The project targets the incorporation of advanced functional materials to deliver customised conductive inks and flexible adhesives compatible with high volume manufacturing platforms. Specifically the development of these enabling materials will support high speed roll to roll integration of hybrid and large area electronics to address internet of things opportunities The consortium will integrate materials development with end application requirements in terms of technical performance (thermal/electrical conductivity, processing conditions, materials integrity and adhesion) and unit cost of production to facilitate market adoption. The project will utilise and build on existing CPI pilot facilities (R2R print line) to demonstrate technology integration, manufacturability and produce components for end user evaluation to enable the direct comparison of production techniques. The project delivers a supply chain to support future commercialisation: incorporating materials suppliers of inks and adhesives, supporting RTO in Formulation and nano-particle production, established high fidelity print equipment manufacturers, electronic device manufacturers, established pilot line facilities and potential end users from the apparel, packaging and healthcare sector – relating to the internet of things.

The vision of 1D-NEON proposal is to develop fibre-based smart materials along with an integrated technology platform for the manufacturing in Europe of new products with multi-sectorial applications in consumer electronics, energy, healthcare and fitness, smart buildings, sensors and e-skin for soft robotics. The overall objective of 1D-NEON is to build a modular platform for manufacturing fibre-based industrial products in multiple market sectors. Nanomaterials will be assembled into five basic fibre components along with manufacturing processes for integration into smart products, to impact three pilot applications. Our design and manufacturing approach will address both technical performance and cost-effectiveness of these multi-sectorial applications, targeting sustainable development of new high-value, high performance devices and systems that could be integrated safely into everyday objects for an improved quality of life. With that perspective, 1D-NEON fully addresses the challenges of the H2020 work programme topic NMP 22 – 2015: Fibre-based materials for non-clothing applications.