BioSinFin - Partners

The Technical University of Munich (TUM, project coordinator) has a unique profile with its core areas of natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, and medicine. The future strategy focuses on strengthening excellence in the disciplinary core competencies in research, teaching, and study, but also aims to promote groundbreaking and interdisciplinary research. TUM is committed to addressing the major societal challenges of the 21st century in areas such as energy, climate and environment, natural resources, health and nutrition, communication and information, mobility, and infrastructure. In addition to research and teaching, TUM inspires and empowers its 42,700 students, researchers, and alumni to think and act entrepreneurially. In international rankings, TUM consistently ranks among the national leaders.

In 2017, TUM founded the Integrative Research Center "Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability (TUMCS)", which conducts basic research and technology development on biogenic resources, biotechnology, and the bioeconomy. Research focuses include the chemical and energetic use of biogenic resources and their economic aspects. In 2020, the Biogenic Functional Materials Lab was established at TUMCS under the direction of Prof. Rubén Costa, which will be involved in this project. The goal of his group is to develop technologies that fulfill the concept of "green photonics." His research portfolio includes the development of biogenic materials, stabilization methods in polymer matrices, and their use in energy-related (lighting and photovoltaics) and medical (sensing and therapy) applications.

The University of Turin (UNITO) is one of the largest Italian universities, with about 70000 students, 3900 employees (academic, administrative and technical staff) and 1800 postgraduate and postdoctoral fellows. Research and training are carried out in 27 departments covering all scientific disciplines. UNITO is among the top three Italian universities in nine out of 16 scientific fields. In particular, UNITO takes first place in the following areas: chemical sciences, biological sciences, historical, philosophical and educational sciences. UNITO is heavily involved in scientific research and leads about 500 projects annually at national and international level.

The Functional Organic Materials Group, which is part of the NIS Interfaculty Centre and the Department of Chemistry (founded in 2012, with about 250 employees (professors, researchers, technicians and administrative staff) , is coordinated by Prof. Claudia Barolo and is the participating unit of the University of Turin. The group has many years of experience in the development and synthesis of organic and hybrid chromogenic systems for optoelectronic applications.

Abiel s.r.l. is a biotechnology Italian SME established in 2010 as a spin-off of the National Council of Research (C.N.R.) and the University of Palermo, with the partnership of Miami Diabetes Research Institute. The company is committed to R&D, production and commercialization of high quality lytic enzymes for regenerative medicine and cell therapy applications.

Abiel has developed a key technology platform patenting a highly performant production process of recombinant proteins, synthesizing innovative recombinant collagenases in E.coli. Recombinant collagenases represent an innovative tool for advanced therapies, and they show innovative properties in terms of stability, reproducibility and purity. As tissue dissociation enzymes, they allow to settle efficient, customized and standardized cell extraction procedures (stem/primary cells and pancreatic islets). Abiel commercializes its enzymes worldwide for regenerative medicine and cell therapy research and is keen to extend its market to clinical applications with GMP grade products.

The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is the largest public institution devoted to research in Spain and the third largest in Europe. It has a staff of more than 10 000 employees. Currently, CSIC has 120 institutes spread across Spain. Within CSIC, the Centre for Materials Physics in Donostia / San Sebastián (CFM-CSIC) is the instutute involved from CSIC. The CFM center is mainly devoted to the study of experimental and theoretical condensed matter physics, focused on the description of the electronic, magnetic, optical, and vibrational properties of nanostructures, biomolecules, surfaces, and solids.

The Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Group at CFM-CSIC is the unit participating from CSIC. Dr. Pedro B. Coto will be the principal investigator from CFM-CSIC. The main tasks of CFM-CSIC will be: performing theoretical studies of bio-conjugated AFPs, refining of the LED emitters with respect to the best molecular and electronic structure and the spectroscopic properties; and supporting the studies about AFP-polymer interactions and the degradation mechanism of the LED emitters.

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is one of the world's top universities. Lund University is the largest institution of research and higher education in Scandinavia. It has eight faculties: economics and management, engineering, fine and performing arts, humanities and theology, law, medicine, science, social sciences, as well as research centres and world class research infrastructures. The University has approximately 46,000 students and 8,600 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg, Malmö and Ljungbyhed. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University is a research intensive university with a large portfolio of research projects. The experience from EU funded research is significant. In Horizon 2020 researchers participated in more than 315 projects in all areas of research and from the first framework programme and onwards in more than 1000 projects. In Horizon Europe the university has been granted 223 projects across all the pillars of the programme, as of March 2024.

 

AIMPLAS, Technological Institute of Plastics located in Valencia, is a research organisation with 34 years of experience. It has a team of more than 250 highly qualified professionals, more than 77% with a Masters Engineering or equivalent degree in Chemistry, polymer engineering, materials engineering or equivalent, including 39 PhD. AIMPLAS’ fields of work are related to technological research and development on thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic materials & products, its transformation processes and their recyclability and sustainability. 

AIMPLAS generates new knowledge and technologies that can be transferred to companies in order to help them to increase their effectiveness and competitiveness. AIMPLAS has a broad expertise in the fields of recycling, compatibilization, reactive extrusion, biopolymers and renewable source materials, special assisted processing technologies and nanocomposites, gained during the last years in the frame of EU and national projects. Currently, AIMPLAS has participated in 168 EU projects in FP5, FP6, FP7, LIFE+, CIP-EcoInnovation, H2020, HE among others, coordinating more than 35% of them. 

At national and regional level, AIMPLAS participates in around 100 projects per year. In fact, during 2023 it has carried out 279 R&D&I projects, 85 of them international and 194 nationals, involving 401 SMEs, and with an economic return for this year of 73.6 million euros.

AIMPLAS, as RTO is focused on helping companies in the plastic sector to develop new products and increase their competitiveness through innovation, has more than 12.000 m2 in pilot plants representing the most relevant polymer/plastics/composites production technologies present in the industry nowadays and has state-of-the art test facilities for chemical, optical, morphological, mechanical and physical characterisation. These pilot lines and laboratories are used by many customers every year allowing them to test new materials, optimize production processes and launch new products to the market, supported by AIMPLAS technical staff, resulting in more than 7500 assays, 170 technical assessments and 223 training actions to more than 1500 clients per year.

AIMPLAS is member of several international networks and organizations, such as ECP4, AESICOM or BIC and standardization committees (ISO and CEN).

In the BioSinFin project, the Coatings area, which is leading AIMPLAS's participation, has expertise in printing technologies such as flexography, gravure, slot-die, and spray. It specializes in developing functional coatings using various types of commercial, natural, and bio-based polymers through different technologies, including water-based, solvent-based, dispersion, and emulsion systems. The area also focuses on functional coatings with properties such as barrier to oxygen and water vapour, hydrophobic, anti-ice, luminescent, thermochromic, antimicrobial, conductive, or absorbent, among others.

Additionally, it works on lamination, the development of new adhesives, and debonding technologies. 

LifeCARES s.r.l. is an innovative start-up in the field of sustainability, founded by the R²ESLab research group and established as a spin-off of the University of Siena in January 2020. Its mission is to support companies in the transition towards a low-impact and resource-efficient economy by defining and implementing the most appropriate solutions for project activities in line with the Green New Deal, combining the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability. The company provides customized sustainability assessment services for products and processes, with a particular focus on the energy production and management sector in all its forms. 

The company offers a wide range of sustainability-related services that can be integrated into the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) through the application of the LCA methodology (ISO 14040): Life Cycle Costing (LCC); Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA); Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA); Carbon Footprint (ISO 14064-67); Water Footprint (ISO 14046); Product Environmental Footprint (PEF); and Organisation Environmental Footprint (OEF); Made Green Italy certification; Assistance to companies in the development of environmental certification schemes such as Environmental Product Declaration (EPD, ISO 14025), EU Ecolabel (ISO 14024) and Environmental Management System (EMS, ISO 14001).

The company is also a partner in other projects, including HORIZON-MSCA Doctoral Network MENTOR "Indoor photovoltaics: towards an energy- and climate-neutral world", 2024- and the Tuscany Regional High Training Project "INSIEME", focusing on Artificial Intelligence approaches, innovative synthesis and economic-environmental sustainability assessment for the development of new materials for solar energy conversion and storage, 2024.