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.

23.09.2025 (Tuesday) – PurpleGain Assembly

On 23 September 2025, a horizontal Working Group meeting will bring together all members of the PURPLEGAIN COST Action to reflect on collective progress, consolidate outputs, and explore the next steps for sustained collaboration. With the Action entering its last year, the meeting will serve as a space to align ongoing contributions such as the PURPLEGAIN Book, highlight impactful work, and strengthen connections across WGs. Discussions will focus on how to carry forward the network’s scientific and practical outcomes, identify opportunities for continued partnerships, and shape future initiatives that build on the foundation established through PURPLEGAIN.

• Location: Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, UK
• Date: 23 September 2025
• Time: 13:30–18:00 (local time)
• Format: In-person
• DINNER: Venue to be announced (23rd of September, Tuesday)

24.09.2025 (Wednesday) – PurpleGain 9th Workshop “Purple Futures: Culturing the Next Wave of Biotech Commercialisation”

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 pitch, ensuring they can effectively engage investors, policymakers, and industry partners.

The proposed program for PurpleGain Assembly and 9th Workshop is as follows:

23.09.2025 (Tuesday) – PurpleGain Assembly

13:30 – 18:00 Local Time

24.09.2025 (Wednesday) – PurpleGain 9th Workshop

9:30 – 9:40 | Welcome | Evina Katsou, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, ICL

9:40 – 12:30 | Session I

Key-note speaker
9:40 – 10:20 | Commercialising microalgal biotechnology: opportunities and lessons learnt | Saul Purton, Algae UK/Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, UCL

Invited speaker
10:20 – 10:50 | Host-aware approaches to cell engineering: potential for food applications and regulatory landscape | Francesca Ceroni, Department of Chemical Engineering/Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein, ICL

10:50 – 11:10 | Coffee Break

Presentations
11:10 – 11:30 | Understanding the Market Landscape for PPB Technologies | Daniel Puyol, Department of Chemical and Environmental Technology, URJC

11:30 – 11:40 | Accelerating purple cleantech implementation: Towards economically viable added-value products | Siegfried Vlaeminck, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp

11:40 – 11:50 | Bacterial Growth on Poly(methylmethacrylate) | Klemen Bohinc, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana

11:50 – 12:00 | Purple Futures: Quantifying Market Adoption Barriers for PPB | Mingze Shi, College of Science and Engineering, University of Galway

12:00 – 12:10 | Cow manure digestate treatment with purple phototrophic bacteria and biomass valorization | Rosa Edith Atayupanqui Dueñas, BETA Technological Center, Central University of Catalunya

12:10 – 12:20 | Bioprocess Design by Kinetic and Constraint-based Metabolic Modelling for Dark Fermentative Application of the Purple Bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum | Hartmut Grammel, Institute for Applied Biotechnology, Biberach University of Applied Science

12:20 – 12:30 | Questions

12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch, Poster Session*

13:30 – 18:30 | Session II

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

14:00 – 14:30 | Panel Discussion: Purple Bacteria in the Food System: Innovation Breakthrough or Nutritional Niche?
Moderator: Saul Purton (Algae UK/Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, UCL ) | Speakers: Baptiste Leroy (PurpleTech/ Department of Proteomics and Microbiology, Univeristy of Mons),  Donal McGee (Algaecytes), Caroline Autenrieth (Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA)

14:30 – 15:00 | Panel Discussion: Mandate, Incentivise, or Wait? The Future of Purple Phototrophic Bacteria in Europe’s Circular Bioeconomy
Moderator: Vincent Glancy (ARUP) | Speakers: David Kim (CyanoCapture), Daniel Puyol (Department of Chemical and Environmental Technology, URJC)

15:00 – 15:30 | Coffee Break

15:30 – 15:40 | Ergeva’s open-lab model | Antonio Idà, Ergeva Open Lab

15:40 – 15:50 | Large-scale production of keto- and hydroxy-carotenoids in Rhodospirillum rubrum | Caroline Autenrieth, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, Stuttgart

15:50 – 16:00 | Thames Water Biotechnology Innovation | Timothy Holloway, Thames Water

16:00 – 16:10 | Microalgal Omega-3 EPA: Navigating the Path to Commercial Impact | Donal McGee, Algaecytes

16:10 – 16:20 | From fundamental aspect of metabolism to industrial production | Baptiste Leroy, PurpleTech/ Department of Proteomics and Microbiology, Univeristy of Mons

16:20 – 16:30 | Questions
16:30 – 18:30 | Round Table | All Participants (Moderators Selected from the COST)

Poster Session* | 12:30 – 13:30 

Effect of dissolved oxygen levels on transcriptomic regulation of electron sink pathways in Rhodospirillum rubrum during acetate batch cultivation
Hugo Fleuriot-Blitman, Institute of Life Sciences, HES-SO Valais-Wallis

Microbial Strategy Optimization for Enhanced Propionate Degradation and Resource Recovery in Wastewater Treatment Systems
Tingxia Liu, Civil Engineering, University of Galway

Self-floating microalgae granules: A game-changer for wastewater treatment and microalgal biomass harvesting?
Hui Pan, Civil Engineering, University of Galway

Integrated Hydrothermal-Microbial Valorization of Chaetomorpha linum from Orbetello lagoon
Mariasole Gobbo, Department of Chemistry, University of Florence

Investigating Electrode Interaction of Rhodopseudomonas palustris 42OL in a Bioelectrochemical System
Matilde Ciani, Department of Agriculture, University of Florence

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. A fixed daily allowance of EUR 236 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.