On 21-22 May 2026, the FLEXIZYME consortium gathered in Naples for the M24 consortium meeting, hosted by ENCO.
The assembly provided the opportunity to review progress achieved in the first half of the project and to strengthen alighnment among partners as FLEXIZYME moves into its next phase. Importantly, at M24 the project reached its midpoint, marking a structured moment of evaluation within the project lifecycle to assess achievements against initial objectives and recalibrate priorities where needed.
Across two days, all partners presented updates from their respective work packages, offering a comprehensive overview of the results achieved. The discussions allowed the consortium to refine strategic priorities, and identify key actions necessary for the advancement of the project.
The enthusiasm and commitment shown in Naples reaffirm the strength of our consortium and the relevance of our mission: building a sustainable and innovative enzymatic platform for bio-based fatty amines.
A warm thank you to ENCO for hosting us, and to all partners for their contributions, both inside and outside the meeting room.
Specialty Operations (SpeOp), part of Syensqo, develops advanced scientific solutions used across a wide range of sectors. With more than 13,000 employees in 30 countries, Syensqo unites chemists, engineers, biotechnologists, and innovators around a shared mindset: pushing the boundaries of what science can deliver for society.
Inspired by the historic Solvay Congresses, which brought together the greatest scientific minds of their time, Syensqo carries forward that legacy by exploring bold ideas, tackling complex challenges, and turning scientific breakthroughs into real-world applications. From mobility to consumer care, Syensqo’s technologies touch how we work, travel, and live every day.
SYENSQO’s Role in FLEXIZYME
Within FLEXIZYME, SpeOp brings their industrial and formulation expertise to ensure that bio-based fatty amines can be validated at an industrially relevant level. Their contribution includes:
Downstream and validation activities within WP6, assessing how fatty amines produced via biotechnology perform in real-world applications.
Supporting WP8 on communication, dissemination and exploitation to accelerate uptake and market awareness.
Contributing to WP9 through structured project coordination and management.
By bridging biotechnology with industrial formulation and market requirements, SpeOp helps ensure that FLEXIZYME’s scientific advances translate into viable, scalable products for sectors such as detergents, cosmetics, and agriculture.
Founded in 2005, Lavantia Nature set out to redefine industrial and professional cleaning. Backed by a team of experienced scientists and researchers, Lavantia focuses on creating innovative, high-performance products that combine functionality with sustainability. Their expertise spans multiple sectors, including institutional hygiene, food safety, car care, water treatment, and laundries.
Initially focused on the national market, Lavantia expanded internationally from 2007, establishing a commercial network across Europe, the US, Mexico, Asia, and Africa. By 2022, their products were distributed in more than 10 countries, and today they reach around 20 countries worldwide. Their headquarters and manufacturing center in l’Alcudia (Valencia) now operate in a fully automated facility, meeting ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 standards, and emphasizing environmental responsibility through life cycle assessment and continuous product innovation.
LAVANTIA’S Role in FLEXIZYME
In this project, Lavantia Nature is driving the development of new detergent formulations using novel fatty acids. They are testing the stability of these formulations under controlled conditions to ensure industrial applicability and evaluating the cleaning efficacy of the final products. Their contribution is key to ensuring that the solutions are both effective and sustainable for industrial use.
Coreysa is a family-owned company with nearly a century of experience in the oil industry. Founded in 1917 by Daniel Espuny Aleixendri, the company built its roots in Catalonia and later expanded to Andalusia, combining tradition with entrepreneurial vision. Today, under the leadership of Joaquin Espuny and his family, Coreysa represents four generations dedicated to producing high-quality olive and vegetable oils. Quality and customer satisfaction are at the heart of Coreysa’s operations, supported by rigorous HACCP-based quality control and prestigious IFS and BRC certifications. With a strong commitment to research, development, and innovation, Coreysa has introduced high-performance oils and the “Healthy Frying Concept” for professionals seeking premium solutions.
COREYSA’s Role in FLEXIZYME
In the FLEXIZYME project, Coreysa provides critical support by supplying a variety of samples, including crude and refined oils and by-products from the refining process. Beyond materials, their expertise guides the scaling-up of production processes, ensuring that innovations developed within FLEXIZYME can move efficiently from lab to industrial implementation. Coreysa’s deep knowledge of high-quality oil production and process innovation makes them an indispensable partner in advancing the project’s goals.
Learn more about COREYSA’s expertise by checking out their website: https://coreysa.es/
FLEXIZYME at MICROBIOTEC’25: Sharing Progress in Biocatalysis and Bio-Based Fatty Amines
Earlier this month, FLEXIZYME travelled to the Azores for the Congress of Microbiology and Biotechnology 2025 (MICROBIOTEC’25), held from 4–6 December at the University of the Azores. This biannual congress, co-organised by the Portuguese Society of Microbiology and the Portuguese Society of Biotechnology, has become a key meeting point for national and international researchers, industry stakeholders, and early-career scientists exploring the frontiers of microbiology and biotechnology.
MICROBIOTEC’25 once again delivered on its promise: three days of dynamic exchanges, new scientific perspectives, and collaborative discussions centred on the innovations and challenges shaping the field today.
FLEXIZYME on Stage: Presenting Our Vision and Progress
FLEXIZYME was proud to contribute to this year’s programme through two scientific contributions:
Oral presentation – “FLEXIZYME: Biotechnological Production of Fatty Amines from Side Stream Materials”
Delivered by Annabel Serpico, this talk introduced the FLEXIZYME project to the audience, outlining the scientific challenges we tackle, the transformative potential of our approach, and the environmental and industrial impact of producing fatty amines through sustainable biotechnological pathways.
Poster presentation – “Construction of a Flexible and Adaptable Enzymatic Biotechnological Platform for Sustainable Industrial Production of Bio-Based Fatty Amines from Side Stream Materials”
Presented by Javier Bucho, the poster showcased promising progress in the development of biocatalysts specifically engineered for fatty amine biosynthesis. This work represents a crucial step toward building a robust, scalable platform for bio-based fatty amine production.
A Space for Exchange, Learning, and Collaboration
MICROBIOTEC’25 offered an exceptional setting to connect with experts across microbial biotechnology, share methodologies, discover complementary research, and engage with young researchers eager to enter the scientific community. For FLEXIZYME, it was an opportunity not only to present our achievements but also to learn from peers, gain valuable feedback, and identify new avenues for collaboration.
Thank you to the organizers for such a fruitful event and the opportunity, and to ITENE for representing FLEXIZYME.
On 1–2 December 2025, the FLEXIZYME consortium gathered in Sevilla for our M18 project meeting, hosted by the Across two days, all partners presented updates from their respective work packages, giving the consortium a clear and consolidated view of achievements to date. These inputs helped us refine priorities, anticipate upcoming milestones, and identify strategic actions to ensure a smooth transition into the next stage of the project.colleagues at Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC). This was an important moment to take stock of our progress, align expectations ahead of next year’s first project review, and collectively shape the next phase of FLEXIZYME.
Across two days, all partners presented updates from their respective work packages, giving the consortium a clear and consolidated view of achievements to date. These inputs helped us refine priorities, anticipate upcoming milestones, and identify strategic actions to ensure a smooth transition into the next stage of the project.
Collaboration Beyond the Meeting Room
As always, some of the most valuable discussions happened during the informal moments: coffee breaks, lunch, and in-between sessions. We welcomed new partners, strengthened connections across the consortium, and enjoyed delicious Spanish food, which created the perfect backdrop for energizing exchanges and fresh ideas.
The first day concluded with a traditional Andalusian dinner, followed by an evening stroll under Sevilla’s beautiful Christmas lights, a festive touch that made the gathering even more memorable.
A Hands-On Visit to Instituto de la Grasa
On the second day, the meeting continued with a guided tour of the facilities of Instituto de la Grasa, where partners learned firsthand about the institute’s work on olive oil, its production steps, and key processes relevant to FLEXIZYME’s research. This was followed by dedicated sessions on:
Stakeholder engagement and upcoming outreach activities
Communication & dissemination planning for the next period
An exploitation workshop that highlighted the importance of not only sharing project results but also safeguarding them to maximise long-term impact
We wrapped up the meeting encouraged, aligned, and prepared for the next stage of FLEXIZYME. The enthusiasm and commitment shown in Sevilla reaffirm the strength of our consortium and the relevance of our mission: building a sustainable and innovative enzymatic platform for bio-based fatty amines.
A warm thank you to Instituto de la Grasa for hosting us, and to all partners for their contributions, both inside and outside the meeting room.
LIPSA is a family-owned leader in the vegetable oils and fats sector, operating two state-of-the-art facilities in Barcelona and Huelva. Their portfolio spans food, feed, technical applications, and biofuels, always underpinned by strict quality standards and a strong commitment to safety and sustainability. With decades of expertise and an innovation-driven mindset, LIPSA consistently adapts to evolving market needs while ensuring responsible and efficient refinery operations
LIPSA’s Role in FLEXIZYME
Within FLEXIZYME, LIPSA plays a crucial role at the very foundation of the project: the supply and characterisation of fatty acid–rich side streams originating from the refining of vegetable oils.
They provide high-quality samples—such as palm and coconut streams, to Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC) for detailed analysis. These raw materials are essential to understanding feedstock diversity, evaluating suitability for enzymatic routes, and steering the project toward scalable, sustainable fatty amine production.
Their contribution ensures that FLEXIZYME’s innovations build on realistic, industrially relevant inputs, linking advanced biotechnology with real-world refinery by-products.
Learn more about LIPSA’s expertise by checking out their website: https://www.lipsa.es/
We’re proud to see our partners at the IPSEN Unit (National Technical University of Athens) showcasing their latest advances at the AIChE Annual Meeting in Boston. Their work on semi-supervised variational autoencoders is a powerful example of how cutting-edge modelling and AI are accelerating FLEXIZYME’s mission.
AIChE is the world’s leading organization for chemical engineering professionals, with more than 60,000 members from more than 110 countries. AIChE has the breadth of resources and expertise you need whether you are in core process industries or emerging areas, such as translational medicine. The 2025 Annual Meeting unites academic and industry researchers at all career stages seeking innovation and professional development. Connect with a diverse audience to gain insights on the latest research, network with experts, and advance your career.
Congratulations to Stefanos Xenios and the IPSEN team for representing FLEXIZYME on such an important international stage. The participation of FLEXIZYME at this event reflects our ongoing commitment to bridging cutting-edge enzyme research with industrial sustainability, and to contributing to the European dialogue on green chemistry and circular bioeconomy.
We thank the organisers for an inspiring and engaging event, and look forward to continuing the exchange of ideas that drive innovation in AI and biotechnology. We’re excited to see these insights shaping the next milestones.
FLEXIZYME at 20th Euro Fed Lipid Congress and Expo
Earlier this month, FLEXIZYME was proudly represented at the 20th Euro Fed Lipid Congress and Expo, held in Leipzig, Germany (October 12–15, 2025). A landmark edition marking the first time the Congress was organised without a local host, reflecting its truly pan-European spirit.
Our colleagues Mª Victoria Ruiz-Méndez and Joaquín Velasco Jiménez from Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC) presented a poster titled “Evaluating deodorization distillates for enzymatic fatty amine synthesis.” The work highlights one of the key research areas of FLEXIZYME: the valorisation of side streams from oil refining processes through biocatalytic innovation, advancing the production of bio-based fatty amines for more sustainable industrial applications.
The Euro Fed Lipid Congress remains a leading forum for the exchange of scientific knowledge and collaboration among experts from academia and industry working in the fields of fats, oils, and lipids. This year’s program explored emerging trends in lipidomics, nutrition, and sustainable lipid processing, offering valuable opportunities to connect with the broader European lipid science community.
The participation of FLEXIZYME at this event reflects our ongoing commitment to bridging cutting-edge enzyme research with industrial sustainability, and to contributing to the European dialogue on green chemistry and circular bioeconomy.
We thank the organisers for an inspiring and engaging event, and look forward to continuing the exchange of ideas that drive innovation in lipid science and biotechnology.
We are grateful to our partner Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC) for representing FLEXIZYME at this prestigious event and for their continued commitment to driving collaboration in the bioeconomy sector.
Founded in 1614, the University of Groningen (RUG) is one of the Netherlands’ oldest and most prestigious universities, consistently ranked among the top 100 worldwide. Its Faculty of Science and Engineering brings together leading experts across biology, chemistry, and physics, fostering groundbreaking interdisciplinary research at the crossroads of the natural sciences.
Established in 2022 by Assistant Professor Dr. Maximilian J.L.J. Fürst, the group includes PhD researchers and student interns working in close collaboration with Prof. Dr. Marco W. Fraaije’s Molecular Enzymology group, sharing access to its advanced research facilities. While the Fraaije group focuses on understanding natural enzyme mechanisms and their biocatalytic potential, the Fürst lab is pushing the boundaries of computational enzyme (re)design and high-throughput screening strategies, aiming to accelerate the discovery and optimisation of new biocatalysts.
RUG’s Role in FLEXIZYME
Within the FLEXIZYME project, Dr. Fürst leads Work Package 4: Computational Platform Design for Accelerating Enzyme Improvement. Together with PhD candidate Klara Blaschitz, the team is spearheading the development of advanced computational enzyme engineering approaches, a key pillar in FLEXIZYME’s mission to create a flexible, adaptable biotechnological platform for bio-based fatty amine production.
By combining computational tools, molecular modelling, and experimental validation, the RUG team aims to predict and design enzyme variants with enhanced performance and sustainability, significantly speeding up the optimisation process compared to traditional laboratory methods.
The University of Groningen also collaborates closely with Work Package 5, ensuring that computational findings directly inform and enhance biotechnological process development from sustainable feedstocks.
Through its expertise in computational enzyme design, the University of Groningen contributes to bridging the gap between molecular innovation and industrial application, a vital step toward FLEXIZYME’s goal of developing green, efficient, and scalable bioprocesses for the bio-based economy.
Learn more about RUG’s expertise by checking out their website:https://www.rug.nl/
