Paula Ludovico, principal investigator at ICVS, has been awarded with over half a million euros in European research funding to take part of an international project focused on improving the sustainability of microbial bioprocesses. The project, entitled UPsYDe – Understanding and Postponing Yeast cell Death, was selected under the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks, part of the Horizon Europe framework.
The funding allocated to ICVS, around 550.000 €, is part of a larger four-year consortium effort coordinated by Wageningen University in the Netherlands. The project brings together several leading European institutions, including Imperial College London (UK), the Technical University of Denmark, the Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), the Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, and the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy).
The main purpose of UPsYDe is to understand the biological mechanisms behind yeast cell death and explore ways to delay it, an effort that could significantly boost the efficiency and competitiveness of microbial-based industries.
Beyond its scientific objectives, the project has a strong educational component. It will contribute to structuring doctoral training at the European level, with the goal of preparing a new generation of researchers capable of driving innovation in biotechnology and industrial microbiology. Doctoral candidates involved in the program will receive interdisciplinary training through academic research and industrial partnerships across Europe.
