COST is an intergovernmental framework for European Cooperation in Science and Technology established to initiate networking and coordination of nationally funded research activities on a European level. It facilitates bringing good scientists together under light strategic guidance based on networks, called COST Actions, centred around research projects in fields that are of interest to COST countries and cooperating countries.

The workshop will feature targeted training sessions on sustainability optimization, regulatory frameworks, and investment readiness, equipping participants with the tools to de-risk and scale PPB technologies effectively. Engaging discussions will challenge conventional thinking by exploring whether sustainability can be a competitive advantage or an economic trade-off, and how regulatory uncertainty impacts innovation and investment in emerging biotechnologies. Start-ups and industry leaders will share first-hand experiences of overcoming technological, financial, and policy barriers, offering key lessons on navigating the transition from lab to market. The event will culminate in an interactive pitching workshop and competition, where participants will receive expert mentorship to craft a compelling short pitches, ensuring they can effectively engage investors, policymakers, and industry partners.

1The proposed program for the 9th is as follows:

Purple Futures: Culturing the Next Wave of Biotech Commercialisation

9:00 – 9:30 | Registration 

9:30 – 9:40 | Opening Remarks |   Prof. Evina Katsou, Imperial College London

9:00 – 13:30 | Session I

Key-note speaker

9:40 – 10:20 | Exploiting Innovation – From Research to Industrial Microbiotechnology | Prof Saul Purton, University College London

Invited speaker

10:20 – 10:50 | Policy and Regulatory Landscape | Dr. Rodrigo Ledesma, Reader and Academic Lead for Eng Biology for Sustainability, ICL

10:50 – 11:10 | Coffe break

Background

11:10 – 11:30 | Understanding the Market Landscape for PPB Technologies | Dr. Daniel Puyol

11:30 – 12:30 | Presentations from selected speakers

12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch – Industry Academia Exhibition

13:30 – 18:30 | Session II

Invited speaker

13:30 – 14:00 | Scaling Microbiotechnologies: Industrial Demand, Investment Drivers, and Europe’s Agenda | Dr. David Kim, CEO CyanoCapture

14:00 – 14:30 | Debate 1: Food and Synthetic Biology

14:30 – 15:00 | Debate 2: Valorization/Purification Resource recovery

15:00 – 15:30 | Coffe break

15:30 – 16:30 | Pitches from selected speakers

16:30 – 18:30 | Round Table | Moderators: from industrial sector and cost action members

The 9th Workshops in the frame of WGs 3 of the COST action (CA21146) – PURPLEGAIN will take place in London, UK, at the Imperial College London.

The 9th Workshop, schedule on 24th September, will be held at Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, Skempton Building, Room 301

Additional travel tip: The entire South Kensington campus of Imperial College London
is now cashless, only card and contactless payments are accepted.

Imperial College London

Exhibition Rd, South Kensington,

London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom

Maps Location

Directions from London Airports to Imperial College London’s South Kensington Campus

•  From Heathrow Airport:
  • By London Underground: Take the Piccadilly Line directly from Heathrow to South Kensington Station. The journey takes approximately 50 minutes.​
  • By Heathrow Express: Board the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station (15 minutes). From Paddington, take the Circle Line to South Kensington.​
• From Gatwick Airport:
  • By Gatwick Express: Take the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station (30 minutes). From Victoria, transfer to the District or Circle Line to reach South Kensington.​
  • By National Rail: Alternatively, take a National Rail train to Victoria Station (approximately 40 minutes) and proceed as above.​
• From Stansted Airport:
  • By Stansted Express: Board the Stansted Express to Liverpool Street Station (50 minutes). From Liverpool Street, take the Circle Line to South Kensington.​
• From London City Airport:
  • By DLR and London Underground: Take the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Canning Town. Transfer to the Jubilee Line to Green Park, then switch to the Piccadilly Line to South Kensington. The total journey time is about 40 minutes.​
• From Luton Airport:
  • By Train: Take the Luton DART to Luton Airport Parkway (4 minutes). From there, board a train to St Pancras International Station (approximately 25 minutes). At St Pancras, transfer to the Piccadilly Lineto South Kensington.​
• Directions from St Pancras International Station
  • By London Underground: From St Pancras International, take the Piccadilly Line directly to South Kensington Station. The journey takes about 20 minutes.​

Additional Travel Tips

• Oyster Card: Consider purchasing an Oyster Card or using contactless payment for convenient access to London’s public transportation system.​
• Airport Transfers: While taxis are available, public transport options like the Underground and express trains are often more efficient and cost-effective.​
• Walking Routes: From South Kensington Station, it’s a short walk to the campus. Follow the signs towards the museums; Imperial College is located next to the Science Museum.​
• Local Attractions: Take advantage of nearby cultural sites such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum, and Hyde Park during your stay.​

We hope this information assists you in planning a smooth and enjoyable visit to Imperial College London’s South Kensington Campus. Safe travels!

The selection criteria for participants that will be eligible for reimbursement will comply with the COST Excellence and Inclusiveness Policy, in the implementation of the Action and will encourage attendance by a diverse selection of participants in consideration of:

1. Underrepresented groups, including those with disabilities. Priority will be given to underrepresented groups, including those with disabilities.

2. Gender balance.

3. The level of involvement of Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITCs). Priority will be given to participants form Inclusiveness Target Countries. The current list of ITCs include: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Republic of North Macedonia, Republic of Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.

4. The level of involvement of Early Career Investigators (ECIs). Priority will be given to PhD students and young post-doctoral researchers, followed by senior post-doctoral researchers and professors.

5. In addition, workshop organizers may also consider other special attributes such as:

i) type, or level of expertise in the field of the Workshop based on the curriculum vitae,

ii) appropriate core knowledge and understanding

iii) willingness to participate based on the motivation letter,

iv) demonstrated interest based on the motivation letter,

v) the positive impact that the participation will have on applicant’s future carrier and

vi) willingness to make a presentation in the Workshop session.

Financial support through reimbursement does not necessarily cover all expenses. Afixed daily allowance of EUR 100 can be provided for participants traveling from a distance greater than 100 km from the venue (London). In addition, for travel:

• Up to a maximum of EUR 600 in total can be afforded to each successful applicant from ITC country.
• Up to a maximum of EUR 450 in total can be afforded to each successful applicant from non-ITC country.
• Up to a maximum of EUR 200 in total can be afforded to each successful applicant from UK (for travel over a distance of 100 km).

Note that locals (from London) cannot claim travel reimbursement. This financialcontribution must be understood as financial aid aimed to help applicants to cover the
expenses of their participation in the Workshop. This financial aid does not aim to cover 100% of the expenses. When claiming costs in e-COST, please consider that claims higher than the values provided above will be asked for modifications, so please make your claim as accurate as possible to avoid unnecessary delays in the payment.

Please see COST General Annotated Rules to be reimbursed.

If the amount of reimbursement by all applications within a call does not exceed the available budget, the applications are handled by the selection committee. If there are more applications than funding is available, the following procedure takes place.

1. A list of all applications (containing an informative summary) is distributed to all members of the selection committee in form of a table in which every evaluator can mark which applications he or she can evaluate according to their field of expertise.
2. To guarantee a fair and objective evaluation, an evaluator should have no affiliation with neither the home nor the host institution of the application in question.
3. All applications are evaluated by two members of the selection committee. The Grant Awarding coordinator distributes the proposals to the individual evaluators.
4. The criteria given in the table below shall be applied for evaluation. The first criterion (a) is assessed by the Grant Awarding coordinator prior to the evaluation process.

5. The evaluators report their evaluations to the Grant Awarding coordinator.
6. The Grant Awarding coordinator ranks all evaluations and then reports the final result to the selection committee to be discussed and accepted.
7. The applicants are informed about the decision reached.