Dr. Schmidt partner in consortium that receives H2020 Marie-Curie EJD grant

Dr. Sandy Schmidt , a new Assistant Professor and Rosalind Franklin Fellow in the Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy ( GRIP ), is partner in a consortium that has been awarded a H2020 Marie Curie EJD grant. The grant of EUR 2.9 million is for the ConCO₂rde project: a training network on the conversion of CO₂ by smart autotrophic biorefineries. The aim is to develop processes for the utilization of renewable resources by CO₂-fixing microorganisms.

The CONCO₂RDE EJD will train 11 Early Stage Researchers (ESR) in cutting edge research projects on

• the combination of synthetic biology approaches with metabolic and process engineering to create an efficient route from CO₂ fixation to the production of chemicals;
• H₂/CO₂/O₂-based fermentation and process intensification in order to optimize commercially relevant processes together with industry;
• defining a road map for the industrial implementation of autotrophic biotransformations.

The double degree programme allows in-depth training in two complementary disciplines, further strengthened by a transferable skills training with strong industry participation. The ConCO₂rde consortium consists of one translational institute, six universities, nine industrial partners and one cluster, providing the ideal environment to foster complementary expertise in synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, biocatalysis, process engineering and analytics. The acib GmbH (Graz, Austria) is the coordinating institution, whereby Dr. Schmidt acts as coordinating person on behalf of acib GmbH. Dr. Schmidt receives EUR 531,000 for her part of the project. She will provide expertise in synthetic biology and biocatalysis, with a focus on strain engineering and oxygenase-catalyzed biotransformations.