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Theorized since the United Nations Rio Conference on Climate Change in 1992, the world is currently facing a major transition from an oil-based economy (energy, chemistry) to an economy based on renewable resources (bio-based) and biotechnology. In recent years, the near exhaustion of fossil resources has emerged as a reality, although the precise deadline remains controversial. Currently, efforts to promote alternative sources of energy and chemicals are motivated by both the economic necessity of fossil fuel depletion and environmental concerns (limitation of emissions of petroleum by-products) and toxicological data (REACH list).

Nature and particularly plants and micro-organisms constitute an exceptional reservoir of original molecules of a chemical nature and of very varied functions. The main objectives of this cluster are the identification of these new molecules, the understanding of their biosynthetic mechanism, the definition of processes allowing them to be obtained under controlled conditions and finally their exploitation in different application sectors.

The cluster will focus on:

• Peptides or lipopeptides of microbial origin and synthesized by modular mega enzymes such as nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS)
• Special metabolites of vegetable origin
• Microbial or enzymatic transformation of lignocellulosic biomass to obtain metabolites or platform molecules of interest.