F.I.S. - Fabbrica Italiana Sintetici is pleased to announce its involvement in the European project Horizon 2022 - NextBase. This program involves four European universities and two companies, united to address the crucial challenge of noble metal substitution in cross-coupling chemical reactions, a process that is of great importance for the production of chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients.
From Dec. 1, 2023 to Jan. 15, 2024, graduates from around the world were able to apply for one of the six doctoral positions within the NextBase project, and the candidate selection process is taking place these days, with the goal of being able to officially start the project between April and June 2024. It is important to note that, in accordance with the goals of the program, F.I.S. will only be able to accept applicants who are not residents of Italy with the aim of facilitating the circulation of knowledge and young talent.
NextBase is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network involving four prestigious European universities and two companies. F.I.S. is positioned as one of only two companies involved, as well as the only private Italian company to participate in the project. This participation testifies to the leadership role that F.I.S. plays at the European level, not only for the production of active ingredients for the pharmaceutical industry, but also for its valuable applied research activity aimed at identifying and applying sustainable methodologies for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients. In fact, thanks to its R&D team of more than 250 highly qualified professionals, the company stands out for its constant commitment to the implementation of cutting-edge projects, both in terms of chemical complexity and methodological and technological innovation.
Catalysis is exploited today for the preparation of about 90 percent of chemical and pharmaceutical products. The use of catalysts enables efficient chemical transformations while limiting the consumption of raw materials and energy. However, a large number of catalytic systems rely on noble metals, with associated sustainability issues. In fact, these metals are subject to severe price fluctuations and are destined to become increasingly rare materials. Moreover, given the toxicity of most precious metals, the threshold tolerated in active pharmaceutical ingredients is very low, with a major impact on energy use and waste generation. For these reasons, the replacement of noble metals (Palladium, Rhodium, Platinum) with the more abundant and inexpensive "vile metals" (Iron, Copper, and Nickel) is becoming an increasingly pressing goal.
"The ambitious goal of NextBase perfectly reflects F.I.S.'s interest not only in the area of research and innovation, but also in the area of sustainability." Commented Alfredo Paio Head of R&D at F.I.S. - Fabbrica Italiana Sintetici and tutor of the NextBase project. "We are proud to be a beneficiary entity of this European project, whose participation further stimulates us to pursue our mission of developing cutting-edge technologies and creating sustainable innovation in the field of active pharmaceutical ingredients and small molecules."
With its participation in this project, FIS remains true to its commitment to support the training of young talent. The company, in fact, participates in the 1st Mentoring Program in the Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, a project that offers young researchers a targeted path to transition from academia to industry or non-academic research centers. In addition, it collaborates with five prestigious Italian universities, the University of Bologna, the University of Venice, the University of Padua, and the University of Trieste, for consulting activities and for the funding of several doctoral courses always in the field of developing methodologies for sustainable processes, applications of nanotechnology in the analytical field, and applications of statistical methodologies and process modelling software.
"The doctoral network "NextBase" is funded by the European Union's research and innovation program (Horizon-MSCA-2022-DN-01, project number 101119574 - NextBase)"