©Emlife

What has the ATTRACT seed funding enabled you to do so far?

To establish a conceptual and experimental framework to realise the proposed technology, i.e., a novel microfluidics/mass-spec interface to analyse complex chemical mixtures in small volumes in high throughput.
It also enabled us to form a group (including academic and industry experts) to try to attract additional funding (from other EU programs).
To develop a prototype and start experimentation.

What challenges have you faced so far?

Overcoming communication challenges between different disciplines and sectors within our group.
Pushing the mass-spec detection limit to smaller droplet volumes and lower concentrations.

Where does your ATTRACT journey go from here?

Developing the conceptual and technical interface between the microfluidics/mass-spec technology and the scientific origin of life questions.
Identification of additional (and commercial) application of the developed technology, such as in personalised medicine, sample size reduction, synthetic chemistry, high-speed characterisation of complex chemical mixtures.

Sum up in two sentences the advantages of the ATTRACT Programme over other research funding schemes.

A relatively light application procedure. A two-phase structure with a bottom-up definition of research.

For more information

Visit the Emlife project site.