16/072024

A consortium led by the LS4FUTURE PI Lígia Martins from ITQB NOVA has secured 2.5 million euros from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks to launch COMENZE – Computational and Experimental Enzyme Engineering for New Polymers, a project aimed at training ten doctoral candidates in enzyme engineering and polymer design. The goal is to develop eco-friendly polymers that align with circular economy principles, addressing the challenges posed by current synthetic polyesters that rely on fossil resources and are difficult to recycle.

COMENZE will use computational and experimental approaches to optimize enzymes for producing sustainable polymers. The project, which received a perfect evaluation score, aims to advance the bio-based polymer industry by combining cutting-edge computational methods with wet lab validation.

Starting in 2025, COMENZE will bring together 8 leading academic institutions and 5 innovative R&D companies to create a multidisciplinary training program in computational design, molecular biology, biocatalysis, and biophysics.

Imagine a world where your clothes, household items, and even medicines are made from polymers that do not harm the environment. That’s the endgame here, folks! COMENZE is on a quest to engineer enzymes that can produce sustainable polymers, waving goodbye to those pesky fossil-based materials that are clogging up our planet.

This groundbreaking training program is not just about creating better enzymes and more sustainable polymers – it’s about forging the scientific leaders of tomorrow who will shape our sustainable future.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks is a Horizon Europe funding initiative designed to support international doctoral programs, focused on training highly skilled doctoral candidates both in academic and non-academic settings, aiming to stimulate creativity, enhance innovation capacity, and improve long-term employability.