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Five new projects to start under the "Proyectos I+D+I 2020” (Generación de Conocimiento y Retos Investigación) call by the AEI

1st September 2021 – The Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ-CERCA) has secured funding for five projects in the State Research Agency’s (AEI) “Proyectos I+D+I 2020” (Generación de Conocimiento and Retos Investigación) call. This program is designed to support high-impact research projects that push the boundaries of scientific knowledge and address some of the most critical global challenges, such as climate change, energy sustainability, and resource scarcity.

These initiatives will play a key role in developing innovative technologies to tackle these urgent issues, further solidifying ICIQ’s dedication to advancing chemistry research for a sustainable future.

The ICIQ projects receiving funding are:

1. CompChem-4.0 (Prof. Carles Bo, REF. PID2020-112806RB-I00)

Under the guidance of Prof. Carles Bo, this project focuses on applying modern computational chemistry methods to solve problems in the fields of catalysis and nanoscience, some of those called emerging chemical technologies that show great promise for alleviating important societal problems and for a sustainable development.

2. COMPSUSCHEM (Prof. Feliu Maseras, REF.PID2020-112825RB-I00)

Led by Prof. Feliu Maseras, this project seeks to enhance sustainability in the chemical industry through computational chemistry. There is a wide variety of initiatives to increase sustainability, and this research project aims to address a selection of them from the point of view of computational chemistry. In this concern, the improvement of catalytic processes is an important target. New processes will ideally lead to the same products, but with fewer undesired side products and under more benign conditions.

3. COMPOFUN (Prof. Pau Ballester, REF.PID2020-114020GB-I00)

Prof. Pau Ballester is leading the COMPOFUN project, which focuses on the synthesis of molecular and supramolecular containers / receptors with polar interiors derived from the use of aryl- and super-aryl- extended calix[4]pyrroles, and the evaluation of their applications in different areas ranging from fundamental studies of physical organic chemistry, the development of sensor devices, molecular recognition, supramolecular catalysis and the transport of molecules across lipid membranes.

4. CONQUEST (Prof. Arjan Kleij, REF.PID2020-112684GB-I00)

In the CONQUEST project, Prof. Arjan Kleij will explore new transition metal catalyzed approaches for the construction of quaternary and tetrasubstituted tertiary carbon stereocenters enabled through decarboxylative allylation reactions. Compounds featuring acyclic quaternary stereocenters are attractive targets as the development of new scaffolds with such a structural element are valuable to increase the chemical space that is exploited by medicinal and fine-chemical chemists to develop new and/or improved drug molecules.

5. MD3dCAT (Dr. Mónica Pérez-Temprano, REF.PID2020-112733GB-I00)

Led by Dr. Mónica Pérez-Temprano, this project focuses on the selective conversion of C-H bonds into carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds. The research aims to develop more rapid and efficient construction of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals or polymers. During decades, this fields has been dominated by the employment of catalysts based on noble metals such as Pd, Rh or Ir.