Cost-effective and robust continuous biotech bio-based processes

• Contribute to the EU Initiative on Biotech and Biomanufacturing, EU Bioeconomy Strategy and Action Plan, Circular Economy Action Plan, Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (toxic-free environment), Zero Pollution Action Plan and EU Industrial Strategy

• Demonstrate increased scale-up potential and sustainability of continuous biotech processes for bio-based chemicals, materials and/or ingredients, boosting EU industrial biotech competitiveness

• Achieve increased and stable productivity and selectivity versus benchmark batch/fed-batch processes at industrial scale

• Deliver end-products with purity levels compliant with final application requirements

• Must identify existing scale-up challenges (contamination risk, genetic instability, titer/productivity/yield trade-offs, flow/concentration variability, monitoring/control gaps) in current batch/fed-batch processes

• Demonstrate a fully continuous upstream process addressing identified bottlenecks

• Integrate continuous downstream purification achieving application-specific end-product purity while maintaining uninterrupted flow

• Select target bio-based chemical(s), material(s) or ingredient(s) with high market potential (excluding proteins; see related topic for proteins)

• Apply process intensification to maximise resource and energy efficiency and valorise side-streams

• Implement robust on-line monitoring and control systems, leveraging AI/digital tools if appropriate

• Include a work package to apply and refine the SSbD framework (develop thresholds, identify data gaps and collection priorities)

• Demonstrate complementarity with relevant past/ongoing Horizon 2020/Europe and BBI/CBE JU projects (non-exhaustive examples provided)