THE SINGLET OXYGEN STRATEGY:
TESTIMONY OF A SME IN A MCA PROJECT
Kevin Huvaere
EcoSynth
Bridging Business and Research
Brussels, Belgium
April 30th, 2014
Outline
EcoSynth: A short introduction to the company
The Marie Curie ITN project and its consortium
How we got involved
Contacts with university
Find the right international fellow to hire
Current status
Conclusion
EcoSynth
Core
business
PROVIDING SOLUTIONS
AUTONOMOUS AND INDEPENDENT
OSTEND
BELGIUM
EcoSynth
NEW MOLECULE
DEVELOPMENT
service
PROCESS
DEVELOPMENT
Organic molecules
From mg up to kg scale
All industries and applications
Side stream valorisation
Industrial proces intensification
Biomass feedstock
CATALYSIS
FLOW CHEMISTRY
PHOTOCHEMISTRY
Higher selectivity
Lower energy requirement
Increased safety and efficiency
Shorter time to market
Unexplored chemical space
Shorter synthetic route
R&D
Chemical industry in transition: from this…
Pressure increasing from all sides
Solvents, catalysts, …
… to this !
Safe
Environmentally friendly
Biodegradable
Biomass
Solvents, catalysts,…
Recycling
International network for investigation of photochemically generated singlet
oxygen (1O2) as a green and benign oxidant for use in novel synthetic methodologies,
crosslinking strategies, bioconjugation procedures and materials production
January 2013 – December 2016
How we got involved
Singlet oxygen reaction
Converts substrate into oxidized product using oxygen, a dye as catalyst,
and light as energy source
Green methodology
Recent developments in production of artimesinin, an antimalaria drug
Dye catalyst
Oxygen as
sustainable oxidant
Visible light as
energy source
How we got involved
Singlet oxygen reaction
Converts substrate into oxidized product using oxygen, a dye as catalyst,
and light as energy source
Green methodology
Recent developments in production of artimesinin, an antimalaria drug
EcoSynth
R&D
Dye catalyst
Oxygen as
sustainable oxidant
CATALYSIS
FLOW CHEMISTRY
Visible light as
energy source
PHOTOCHEMISTRY
How we got involved
Contact with university
3 of 4 PhD’s at EcoSynth from Ghent University
Frequent interactions (ad hoc teaching, internships, tutorships) support
network with academia
Expertise of EcoSynth exposed to academic partners
> Invitation to participate as SME in SO2S project
Beside scientific interaction, essential support from EU cell, Ghent
University, in solving administrative issues with respect to hiring, financial
reporting, IT problems, etc.
> Network with university pivotal in participation as SME in ITN project
Find the right international fellow
1 ER assigned to EcoSynth
ER = experienced researcher
PhD with < 5y research experience (fresh postdoc)
24 months project duration
3 months secondment to Madrid
Early stage researchers (ESR): 12 months secondment from Madrid, Aveiro,
and Crete to EcoSynth
Job position announced on Euraxess; scientific literature
> high response rate; no matching profiles
EcoSynth approach:
Executive summary on project proposal
Contact expert academic research groups (literature, linkedin, …)
Skype interviews for initial assessment of suitable candidates
Only 4 months between start of search and start of ER
> International fellow (UK): mobility allowance decisive
Current status
SO2S project started January 2013
ER at EcoSynth started September 2013
New technology up and running in our labs
Consortium meetings held at Ghent and Berlin; Crete following this
summer
Scientific updates by fellows
Project management meetings
Preparation of mid term review (24 m)
Consortium network interactions
New catalysts from wastewater treatment for higher performance of
EcoSynth reactor
Extension of chemical scope for singlet oxygen reactions through extensive
collaboration with academic experts from Greece
Fast transfer of skills and knowledge from academia to industry
Conclusions
Unique opportunity for SME
Hiring of expert scientist
Access to cutting edge academic research
International networking
To consider
Preparation of application
Administrative tasks
International meetings
[email protected]
ë www.ecosynth.be
Thank you