15 new projects join the B-BEST program!

The B-BEST call for projects is a pillar in the structuring of research. It aims to fund work that will advance knowledge in the fields covered by the Bioproductions program, and complement the flagship projects of the program's first 4 axes, by going further or in directions not yet explored.

Organized in two sessions, at the beginning and end of 2024, it represents the majority of the budget allocated by the program to funding research projects.

For this first session, which received 43 applications, 15 winners were selected by the international scientific jury appointed by the Agence nationale dela recherche (French national research agency) and validated by the program management and the Secrétariat général pour l'investissement (general secretariat for investment).

Find out more about their projects in the various program areas:

Biomass characterization: 

• Applestorm: imaging biomass multiscale architecture.
• MICRO-MASS: microscopic Imaging Coupled with Mass Analysis for Structural Studies
• WallMat: biosourced materials inspired from the plant cell walls.
   

Understanding and controlling biological systems:

• BioFUMAC: a new pathway for bio-based acrylic acid through robust fungal production of fumaric acid and engineering of a novel decarboxylase.
• COPE: chassis Optimization by Proteome-allocation Engineering for diverse bio-production applications.
• Flavolases: hijacking the Flavobacterium type IX secretion machinery for efficient cellulolytic activity.
• PRODIGES: process-driven genetic engineering strategies.
• PuLCO: integrated approach on copper systems to improve recalcitrant polysaccharide utilization.
   

New biomass transformation pathways:

• BioMCat: combining biocatalysts and metal supported catalysts for valorizing lignin to aromatic aldehydes in an integrated process.
• MALIGNE: water-soluble enzymatic lignin for high value and sustainable applications.
• PREMIERE LIGNE: pyrolysis, molecular reconstruction and lignin characterization.
• ROSALIND: benchmarking of sono- and photocatalysis for lignin demethylation.
• SmartCoupling: coupling enzymatic and chemistry routes to develop sustainable tools of lignocellulosic biomass transformation into functionalized building blocks.
• WAEster: environmental biorefinery approach for the production of fatty acid esters and co-products from microalgae cultivated on waste fermentation effluents.
   

Cross-cutting methodologies and tools:

• MuSiHC: multi-size hybrid cell models.