The AUREUS consortium is composed of 9 Beneficiaries, 2 Employing Associated Partners and 7 Associated Partners.
Beneficiaries
01. UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI FEDERICO II (UNINA)
UNINA is the oldest public university in the world, founded in 1224. It has about 80.000 students per year and 28 different Departments. The UNINA Department of Chemical Sciences has 104 permanent positions for scientists in all areas of chemistry, chemical biology and biochemistry. Furthermore, more than 160 PhD students and Post-Docs, are supported by either MUR funds from the Italian Ministry for University and Research, grants from the EU (ERC, MSCA and other programs) or industries located at the Department of Chemical Sciences. UNINA has published more than 500 articles in the last five years in peer-reviewed international journals of chemistry and biochemistry. Prof. Roberta Marchetti, coordinator AUREUS, will be the main supervisor of DC3 and 7. Prof. Marchetti is an Associate professor of Organic Chemistry, a PhD in Chemical Sciences, PI (ERC StG-2019-GLYCOSWITCH project (851356) and DC Supervisor. She has supervised 5 PhD theses on Glycomics topic, has published 50+ papers in international peer-reviewed journals, with 1k citations. Dr. Cristina Di Carluccio, Researcher of Organic Chemistry, PhD in Chemical Sciences will perform daily practical supervision and co-supervision of DC3 and 7.
02. UNIVERSITEIT LEIDEN (ULEI)
ULEI, founded in 1575, is one of Europe’s leading research universities. As a member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), a partnership of prominent research universities in Europe, the graduates can take advantage of this prominent position when seeking employment both within and outside academia. The university has approximately 34,000 students and 7,600 staff members and has awarded, last year alone, around 4,800 Bachelor's, 4,600 Master's, and 445 PhD degrees and published over 7,000 academic publications. The chemistry and life science research in the Leiden Institute of Chemistry (LIC) is organized around two major themes: Chemical Biology and Energy & Sustainability. Prof. Dr. Jeroen Codée, Professor of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, has supervised more than 35 PhD theses on synthetic carbohydrate chemistry and was awarded with an NWO VENI, VIDI and VICI grant as well as an ERC CoG (2018) grant. He participated in the MSCA-ITN networks Immunoshape (2014), Glycovax (2015) and he is the coordinator of the EID program Pavax (2019). He will supervise the training for DC1 and 4. Dr. Zach Armstrong is Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, recently started his independent career and has supervised so far four PhD students in chemical glycobiology and structural glycobiology research. He will perform daily practical supervision and co-supervision for DC1 and 4.
03. STICHTING AMSTERDAM UMC (AMC)
The Amsterdam University Medical Center is one of the biggest institutions for health research in the Netherlands, as well as one of its largest hospitals employing almost 20,000 people to provide integrated patient care, fundamental and clinical scientific research, and teaching. The Amsterdam institute for Infection and Immunity is one of eight AMC-selected research institutes. There is the Amsterdam UMC Doctoral School where a total of 475 PhDs (68% female) were awarded in 2023, supervision training is offered and there is an active PhD student network. The PhD candidates will be working at location AMC, which houses the University Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine of University of Amsterdam as well as the Emma Children’s Hospital, the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, the Medical Department of the Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development. In addition, the Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging building, Amsterdam Skills Centre and a number of biotech companies (some of which are AMC spin-offs) are also located on the premises. Prof. Nina van Sorge is Professor of Translational Microbiology. She has successfully supervised 6 PhD theses on Glycan-mediated interactions in bacterial pathogenesis. Two of the graduated PhDs were part of the ITN-EID DISSection in which prof. van Sorge was a work package leader. She is also a former MSCA-IIF fellow on the SURFACE project. She will supervise the training for DCs 8 and 12 of the AUREUS network. Dr. A. Hendriks is a senior postdoc in infection biology. Astrid has a keen interest in combining teaching and research and currently co-supervises 2 PhD students in glycan-dependent antibody recognition of bacterial pathogens. She will perform daily practical supervision and co-supervision for DC8 and 12.
04. EBERHARD KARLS UNIVERSITAET TUEBINGEN (UT)
UT is a leading research and educational institution in Germany and strongly supports interdisciplinary and international cooperation. The Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen (IMIT), where the team working with AUREUS is located, was founded in 2009, merging the Institute for Microbiology (Faculty of Science) and the Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene (Faculty of Medicine). IMIT is the first institute of its kind in Germany and focuses on collaborative efforts of researchers and clinicians to foster maximum integration of basic and translational sciences. The IMIT is also deeply engaged in education and harbors the Interfaculty Graduate School of Infection Biology and Microbiology (IGIM). The graduate school allows structured education of dozens of graduate students and links several departments, which allows for a highly diverse curriculum. Tübingen is one of the ten German Universities of Excellence, hosting a Cluster of Excellence named “Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections (CMFI)”. Professor Andreas Peschel is an expert in innate immunity and bacterial glycobiology. He, is the head of the Infection Biology Unit at the Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen. Prof. Peschel is a participant in several national and international research projects, and he is also the spokesperson of the Cluster of Excellence CMFI and a member of the executive board of the German Center for Infection Research of DZIF, which will create substantial synergies for research and training opportunities in the DN. He will supervise the training of DC13.
05. AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS (CSIC)
CSIC is the largest public research organisation in Spain and one of the most important in the European Research Area (ERA). CSIC’s mission is to promote, coordinate, develop and disseminate scientific and technological research to contribute to advancing knowledge and economic, social and cultural development. The National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB) opened in 1992 to lead the development of modern biotechnology in Spain. Our focus embraces four major scientific and societal challenges: infectious diseases, inflammation and cancer, sustainability of safe food production and bioremediation of environmentally relevant emissions. The CNB is distinguished by its versatile interdisciplinary research that combines molecular biology methods with the latest technology in the fields of functional and structural biology. We are a team of more than 600 professionals committed to research excellence. Dr. Mark J. van Raaij is a structural biologist and he is currently participating in the EU-funded EIC Pathfinder project iADS and leads the nationally funded research project PHAGE2BAC. Dr. van Raaij is a faculty member of the CNB PhD training committee, and he has previously supervised 7 PhD students, 5 postdocs, 4 technicians and 22 undergraduate students. He has been involved in 2 additional EU-funded projects: ARTIZMES (NEST) and BENATURAL (STRP) and in the ESF-funded project FOLPROCOM. He was the PI of eight national grants and an explorer grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He will supervise the training for DC11.
06. NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR BIOPROCESSING RESEARCH AND TRAINING LIMITED (NIBRT)
NIBRT was founded to assist the development of the biopharmaceutical industry. NIBRT empowers the industry to develop, manufacture and deliver life changing biotherapeutics by provision of bespoke competency-based training and leading-edge collaborative research. NIBRT is located in a purpose-built facility on the University College Dublin campus that contains a scaled-down GMP simulated pilot plant that is used for training and state-of-the-art research laboratories. In 2023, NIBRT opened an extension containing additional pilot manufacturing suites and laboratory space focused on advanced therapies, in particular, viral vectors for gene therapy, cell therapy, and oligonucleotide therapies, including mRNA. Jonathan Bones, PhD, MBA, is a PI at NIBRT in the Characterisation and Comparability Laboratory and an Associate Professor at University College Dublin. He holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Dublin City University (2007) and was a John Hatsopoulos Research Scholar at Northeastern University (2010). He has >105 published papers; H-index = 29 (Web of Science), and he is a Member of Medicine Maker’s Power List 2016-18. He will supervise the training for DC14. Sara Carillo, PhD is a Team leader and Lab Manager, Characterisation and Comparability Laboratory. She holds a PhD in Chemical Science from the University of Naples “Federico II” (2013). >40 papers; H-index 17 (Web of Science). She will perform daily practical supervision and co-supervision of DC14.
07. GLYCODIAG (GLYD)
GLYD is a French research company SME specialized in glycobiology and glycoanalysis projects and products. Our expertise provides the necessary tools and services to speed up the research and development projects related to glycobiological interactions. GLYD has a recognized expertise related to his technology intended for the determination of interaction profiles with lectins allowing to identify "glycans signatures" (GLYcoPROFILE ®) or oligosaccharides receptors on the surface of molecules or cells. The technology associated with other methods of structural analysis and the expertise of the company in the field of glycobiology, constitute a complete platform, suitable for the study of molecules, cells or the action of a glycosylated molecule in the biological recognition processes between lectins and glycans. Ludovic Landemarre, Ph. D., is the Chief Scientific Officer at GLYD. GLYD participated as beneficiary in H2020-MSCA-ITN-2014: Selective Carbohydrate Immunomodulators targeting C-type Lectin Receptors on Antigen Presenting Cells « Immunoshape ». Agreement No 642870 and in H2020-MSCA-ITN-2018: Synthetic biology of carbohydrate-binding proteins: engineering protein-carbohydrate interactions for diagnostics and cell targeting, “synBIOcarb”. Agreement N°814029. He will perform supervision of PhD progress for DC10.
08. UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPES (UGA)
UGA is one of the major multidisciplinary French universities with 59 000 students, 3 100 researchers working in 100 research laboratories. With 10 000 foreign students, half of the Ph.D. students coming from all over the world, and more than 8 000 researchers visiting every year, UGA is an internationally engaged university and has been awarded by the EC with the 'HR Excellence in Research Award'. UGA ranks each year in the Top 100-250 group of the best world universities in all major international rankings. In addition to 9 national organisms (CEA, CNRS, CEN/Météo-France, CRSSA, Inserm INRA, Inria, IRD, Irstea), the city hosts 5 large international research facilities (ESRF, ILL, EMBL, IRAM-Institute, GHMFL), that attract thousands of researchers every year. The Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS) is a joint research unit between UGA, CNRS and CEA. IBS is a research center with international recognition in structural biology and is part of a joint partnership for structural biology with ILL, EMBL and ESRF on the European EPN campus in Grenoble that concentrate facilities for structural biology. IBS hosts 268 staff members including 173 permanents and ~107 non-permanent employees. The Membrane and Pathogens group consists of 13 people, including 8 permanent scientists. Prof. Franck Fieschi is a structural glycobiologist. He participates in 7 ANRS grants (Agence nationale de Recherche sur le Sida) (4 as coordinator), 5 ANRs (2 as coordinator) and beneficiary/coordinator of more than 9 other grants from different national foundations. He was a beneficiary in 1 PDVI (pediatric dengue vaccine initiative) from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 3 ITNs: SBMP and CARMUSYS (PITN-GA-2008-213592) and IMMUNOSHAPE (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2014-642870), as well as participating in 2 COST networks. He has been nominated as a Senior member of the Institut Universitaire de France on a 5-year project with associated funding. He will perform daily practical supervision for DC6. Dr Michel Thépaut is a recognised researcher. He will perform daily practical supervision and co-supervision forDC6. Dr Cedric Laguri is a senior researcher. He will perform co-supervision of PhD progress for DC15.
09. UNIVERSITAT WIEN (UNIVIE)
Founded in 1365, UNIVIE is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and one of the largest in Central Europe. It is associated with 15 Nobel Prize winners (most recent 2022) and has been the academic home of many figures both of historical and academic importance. Currently, about 84,600 students are enrolled at the University of Vienna. They can select from 186 degree programmes, comprising bachelor's, diploma, master's and doctoral programmes. With 10.588 employees, around 70% (7.535) of whom are academics, the UNIVIE is the largest teaching and research institution in Austria. UNIVIE is consistently highly rated in international rankings: it currently ranks 11th among the most international universities in the world and is the top-rated University in Austria (#137) in the Times Higher Education university ranking. Furthermore, the University is located in the "world's most liveable city", as Vienna, for the tenth year in a row, topped the Mercer Quality of Life Ranking. Prof. Dr. Christoph Rademacher is an expert in the field of biophysical characterization of weak interactions with a particular focus on protein-ligand interactions and translating these into applications in molecular and cellular immunology. Rademacher is a co-founder of Cutanos GmbH, a biotech spin-off located in Vienna, working on the development and commercialization of glycomimetic drug targeting. He, acquired around 5M€ in third-party funds and has supervised sixteen PhD students and nine postdocs. He will supervise DC9.
Employing Associated Partners
10. IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE (ICL)
ICL is a world-class top ten university. It is organized into Faculties of Science, Engineering, Medicine, and Business, and spans multiple campuses across London, including the iconic South Kensington campus, known for its Victorian architecture and diverse academic departments. Additionally, campuses like White City, St Mary's in Paddington, Charing Cross, Hammersmith, and Silwood Park contribute to Imperial's multidisciplinary research landscape, specializing in areas from innovation and biomedical sciences to ecology, clinical research, and medical education. The research of ICL is defined by its internationalism, innovation and impact. Two-thirds of research involves an international collaborator, spanning more than 130 countries, making us the UK’s most international university. The College ranks number 3 in Europe in the Reuters world ranking for Innovative Universities. Dr Yan Liu is a Senior Lecturer in Glycosciences and Head of the Carbohydrate Microarray Facility at ICL. She has 20 years’ experience in glycan microarray technologies, has coordinated interdisciplinary projects with over 180 collaborators worldwide. She has published 84 papers (h-index 42). She is currently supervising five PhD students and four postdocs and will supervise DC5. Dr Antonio Di Maio, is the Project Manager of the Carbohydrate Microarray Facility at the Glycosciences Lab. With nearly 10 years of experience in glycan microarray technologies, having managed over 100 collaborative projects worldwide and with expertise in the chemical modification of glycan probes, he will provide day-to-day practical supervision of DC5.
11. UNIVERSITY OF YORK (UY)
UY was founded in 1963 and has grown to be an internationally renowned university. It is a member of the prestigious Russell group of universities with 30 departments and research centres. It was ranked joint 10th overall in the Times Higher Education's ranking of the Research Excellence Framework 2021, a UK-wide assessment of the quality of research in universities undertaken by expert review panels. The University of York was the first Yorkshire university to win the Athena Swan bronze award in recognition of its success in providing positive support for women scientists during their careers. The Athena Swan Charter recognises the advancement of gender equality: representation, progression and success for all. The Departments of Chemistry, Biology and Psychology hold a gold award. Dr. Lianne Willems is a chemical biologist with a particular interest in developing new tools to study glycans of biomedical interest. She is a Senior Lecturer in Glycoscience affiliated with the York Structural Biology Laboratory in the Chemistry Department. Her group works across several aspects of chemical glycobiology, ranging from synthetic chemistry to protein biochemistry, cell- and microbiology. She has authored more than 30 publications in internationally recognised peer-reviewed journals and holds an ERC Starting grant (ERC-2019-StG- project RibiTools, 851448). Within the AUREUS consortium, Lianne will be supervising DC2.
Associated Partners
12. Innovation Acta
INN-ACTA (www.innovationacta.eu) is a company specialized in managing H2020 and HE project proposals and actions. INN-ACTA Grants Managers are highly qualified and have acquired a renowned competence in grants management and dissemination activities from over 20-year experience in EU-funded projects, including Collaborative Projects in Health Programmes, Coordination and Supporting Actions, IMI projects, Marie Curie Actions. INN-ACTA’s expertise ranges from grants management to dissemination activities (e.g. printed materials, flyers, brochures, newsletters, project websites, videos), training activities, organization of meetings, conferences, workshops and Project events.
13. BIOPOX SRL (BIOPOX)
BIOPOX is a biotech company devoted to develop smart, sustainable and marketable biobased products and processes for industry. BIOPOX was born with the idea to bridge the gap between Research and Industry, developing innovative solutions to integrate or partially substitute traditional chemical processes with bio-based ones. Joining together the long-term experience on enzyme characterization, gained by its research team, with the ever-increasing demand for enzymes in several industrial applications, BIOPOX proposes to the market a range of enzymes-based products/processes to meet both consolidated and cutting-edge industrial needs. BIIPOX is also a profitable premier provider of "on-demand" recombinant proteins, from gene cloning to protein expression, purification and product characterization. Dr. Vincenzo Lettera is the co-founder of BIOPOX, holds a PhD in Industrial and Molecular biotechnology from Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II and he is responsible for Business Development at BIOPOX. BIOPOX has previous experiences with EU projects, e.g. INTERfaces - Heterogeneous biocatalysis reaction cascades training network - HORIZON-MSCA-EID Grant No 860414 and DECADES - HORIZON-MSCA-DN-2021 Grant No 101072731. BIOPOX will host DCs for secondment and will be involved in scientific workshops and transferable skills courses.
14. ICENI GLYCOSCIENCE LIMITED (ICENI)
ICENI is capitalising on its expertise in carbohydrate and analytical chemistry, and provides bespoke solutions in glycoscience R&D, nanoparticle technology and bioconjugation chemistry. It develops a portfolio of in-house programs, as well as engaging in collaborative and contract R&D activities, through engagement with the UK Biotech Sector and Government Research Organisations. The company has extensive expertise and facilities for preparative and analytical carbohydrate chemistry; the production, characterisation and exploitation of carbohydrate-active enzymes and other proteins; the surface chemistry and biophysics of carbohydrate-active enzymes; methods and approaches for the delineation of in vivo function of enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism; carbohydrate analysis and structure determination; complex carbohydrate production, purification and characterisation.
15. UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLIN (UCD)
The UCD School of Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering delivers the top-ranking undergraduate programme in Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering in Ireland, a highly successful taught Master’s program in Biopharmaceutical Engineering, and is host to a vibrant graduate research programme. The postgraduate degrees draw on the diverse experience of our academic staff to provide research training of the highest calibre. Since its beginning, over 1400 engineers have been trained and the School has thus played a crucial role in the development of the Irish economy, where the chemical, biochemical and allied industries are strongly represented. Undergraduate teaching is very much supported by the breadth of research currently underway in the School, and, in addition, the size of the School means that staff, postgraduate and undergraduate students can communicate freely on a day-to-day basis, fostering a culture of insight, encouragement, and openness.
16. UNIVERSITE D'ORLEANS (UO)
UO was created in 1306. UO is a multidisciplinary research University with three faculties (Law, economics and management; Sciences and technology; Humanities and social sciences), a Teacher training school, a School of Engineering, an Earth Science observatory and 4 Institutes of Technology. It has 19 000 students (2000 international). Research is carried out in five main clusters (Geosciences and the environment; Energy and materials; Biology and chemistry; Models and systems; Humanities, cultures and societies). UO is a member of the European University Association, the European University Foundation, the Agence universitaire de la francophonie, the Université franco-allemande, and a signatory of the Magna Charta Universitatum. For its international students, it offers a comprehensive bundle of services with administrative support (residence permit, accommodation, insurance and banking).
17. UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE MADRID (UAM)
UAM is a public university that combines quality teaching, intensive research and a high level of employment with a strong social commitment, being a benchmark in these areas, as recognized by various global indicators. In the QS World University Rankings 2024, the UAM ranks among the 200 best universities in the world. The UAM is also positioned as a leader in Teaching and Learning among the 77 institutions analyzed by the report of the Knowledge and Development Foundation (CYD). Its more than 30.000 students and 3.000 academic staff members are organized into seven Faculties (Sciences, Economics and Business Sciences, Law, Philosophy and Letters, Medicine, Psychology, and Teacher Training and Education) and an Engineering School for Computer Science and Telecommunications, with 65 departments, offering a wide range of programs in different scientific and technical fields and humanities. Doctoral degrees can be studied in all the areas mentioned above. UAM is a university with a strong research focus: ten research institutes are located on campus, as well as the Madrid Science Park, with growing university-business collaboration. The collaboration with the Higher Center for Scientific Research (CSIC) on one of the first Campus of International Excellence in our country, has allowed it to create a privileged environment for research and teaching and to be a leader in Nanoscience, Advanced Materials and Life Sciences. In addition, the UAM is part of the CIVIS alliance, a European Civic University, one of the first pan-European campuses promoted by the European Commission (EC).
18. UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM (UvA)
UvA is the largest university in the Netherlands, both in terms of student numbers and choice of study programmes and one of the largest research universities in Europe. The UvA hosts over 30,000 students (of whom 5,000 students are international), 3,000 PhD researchers, 6,000 staff and 100 different nationalities with an annual budget of more than 600 million euros. The UvA ranks among Europe's 20 best universities and consistently scores in the top 100 of global rankings, including the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings, the Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking) and the CWTS Leiden Ranking. Rector Magnificus Prof. dr. Peter-Paul Verbeek is as chair of the UvA Doctorate Board responsible for awarding PhD degrees. The UvA hosts 3,000 PhD candidates and awards on average 550 PhD degrees each year.