The CritCat proposal aims to provide solutions for the substitution of critical metals, especially rare platinum group metals (PGMs), used in heterogeneous and electrochemical catalysis. CritCat will explore the properties of ultra-small transition metal (TM) nanoparticles in order achieve optimal catalytic performance with earth-abundant materials. The emphasis will be on industrially-relevant chemical reactions and emerging energy conversion technologies in which PGMs play an instrumental role, particularly in the context of hydrogen and synthesis gas (syngas) fuels. The CritCat proposal includes all the aspects for rational catalyst design including novel catalyst synthesis, characterization, and performance testing by a range of academic and industry partners together with large-scale computational simulations of the relevant catalysts, substrates and model reactions using the latest computational methods. Particular attention is given to a strong feedback-loop mechanism where theory is an integral part of the experimental work packages. The experimental and theoretical data will be collected (descriptor database) and used for materials screening via machine learning techniques and new algorithms. The goal is to improve size, shape and surface structure control of the tailored nanoparticle catalysts via novel cluster/nanoparticle synthesis techniques that can produce samples of unrivalled quality. The research includes up-scaling of the size-selected catalyst nanoparticle samples up to macroscopic quantities, which will enable them to be included as basic technological components for realistic catalyst systems. The performance of the catalyst prototypes will be demonstrated for selected basic electrochemical reactions relevant to fuel cells and storage of renewable energy. The industrial partners bring their expertise in prototypes development and commercial deployment (TRL 3-4). The project involves cooperation with external research groups in USA and Japan.

Cancer is one of the most important causes of death worldwide, accounting for 8.8 million deaths. The rate of new cases is expected to rise by 70% in the next 2 decades, posing a huge challenge for the healthcare system. If diagnosed early and treated adequately, many cases would have a high chance of cure. This realization is driving the growth in the cancer diagnostics market. The detection and analysis of Circulating Tumour Cells (CTCs) encloses a huge potential for real-time monitoring of cancer cases. CTCs are considered a “diagnostic tumour marker” since they are the reflection of a metastatic aggression. We at TETHIS have developed a new diagnostic platform to characterize CTCs from liquid biopsy (i.e. blood). The combination of our expertise in nanotechnology and strong biology knowledge have led to the development of a Smart BioSurface (SBS) that creates a perfect environment to immobilize CTCs using a total capture approach. Compared to the state-of-the-art alternatives, our methodology does not require pre-enrichment or selection. Having validated this technology for cancer diagnostics at the pilot stage, this project is conceived to finalise the development and market preparation of this technology, culminating in a diagnostic platform for cellular, proteomic and molecular characterization of CTCs. The platform will have key applications, including diagnostics and monitoring in clinical settings, and drug discovery & therapy development in the pharma/biotech sectors. The Phase 1 of this project is dedicated to run a Feasibility Study that helps us evaluate the project from a technical, commercial and financial standpoint. Once the project is finished, we expect our platform to improve the diagnostic capability in the oncology sector, enabling earlier detection and better management. In turn, it will secure the growth for TETHIS, expecting to gain over €10 million in profits, hire 15 new people and reach a ROI of €2.58 from this project after 5 years.