We are delighted to announce that our successful PhD student and future new postdoc of the algal bio-refinery group, Miss Daniela Bárcenas Pérez, has been awarded a Sigma project by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. The objective of the project "Advanced manufacturing based on countercurrent separation to refine microalgae biomass into marketable bioactive pigments" (PigmenTech) is to develop a new manufacturing process based on countercurrent separation (CCC) for the commercial production of lutein, cantaxanthin and astaxanthin diesters from microalgae. R&D activities start at laboratory scale (TRL3) and will be transferred to a real industrial environment, leading to an efficient commercial manufacturing process for the production of biopigments with direct commercial applications. Photo credit: Richard Lhotský, MBÚ AV ČR