SCALE member Eric Helfrich has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant for his research project “COMBINE” (“Bacterial Alkaloid Biosynthesis off the Beaten Path: Compartmentalization and Non-Enzymatic Transformations in Non-Canonical Alkaloid Biosynthesis”). This project will focus on a specific group of natural substances which are not formed by multistep enzymatic processes whose blueprints are present in the genome, making these natural substances impossible to predict.

The ERC’s Starting Grants support excellent researchers in the early stages of their independent scientific career within 2-7 years of experience since completion of their PhD. With up to €1.5 million for the projects over a period of up to five years, the researchers can set up their own research group and establish themselves as independent researchers.

More about Eic Helfrich’s research: https://www.helfrichlab.com/