The European PROPEL project, to be coordinated by IMDEA Energía, has been selected for funding by the European Innovation Council (EIC) under the Horizon Europe Pathfinder Challenges programme, which aims to drive high-impact disruptive technologies. Following the recent notification of the grant award, the process of preparing the Grant Agreement has now begun.

The PROPEL project has been selected under the latest EIC Pathfinder call, which has awarded €118 million to 30 cutting-edge research projects across Europe, placing it among the most innovative and competitive initiatives in the European scientific landscape.

The Biotechnological Processes Unit at IMDEA Energy leads the international consortium of the project, in collaboration with Imperial College London (United Kingdom), Radboud University (the Netherlands), and the company Biomimica (Denmark).

PROPEL proposes the development of a scalable and cost-effective platform for the production of protein-based materials and biocatalysts using synthetic cells. By combining advances in bottom-up synthetic biology, renewable components, fermentation, and waste upcycling, the project aims to overcome current barriers that limit industrial protein production.

The EIC Pathfinder programme supports early-stage research (TRL 1–4) based on high-risk, high-potential ideas, with the goal of generating scientific breakthroughs that can transform industrial sectors and contribute to major global challenges.