IST-ID, Associação do Instituto Superior Técnico para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento, is a private not-for-profit institution that carries out RD&I activities in major areas that are associated with challenges with a strong impact on society. These are strongly interdisciplinary areas in nature crossing different fields of engineering, science and technology and architecture. The RD&I activities comprise not only fundamental aspects but also projects with a strong applied component.

IST-ID is the host institution of 20 Research Centers namely iBB in which professors and researchers of IST (Instituto Superior Tecnico of the University of Lisbon) develop their research activities. In addition to its own research teams, hired directly by IST-ID as part of the research projects it manages, IST makes available to IST-ID several professors and researchers, under the Third-Party agreement between these two institutions, to pursue the RD&I activities promoted by IST-ID.

iBB (Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences) applies engineering principles to address critical challenges in Health and Bioeconomy. In the field of Bioeconomy, members of the iBB are responsible for the scientific Coordination of the POLYMERS-5B Project. iBB has great expertise in biocatalysis, polymer synthesis, fermentation and downstream processing directly involved on: 1) Selection and extraction of biorenewable monomers and bioactive compounds; 2) Design and synthesis of biobased polymers with tailor-made properties and polymeric prototypes; and 3) Assessing of polymer and plastic depolymerization and monomers upcycling contributing to a circular plastic economy in the EU.