Cleaner routes to pharmaceuticals could be achieved by exploring new reactivity in metal free catalysis, researchers at Cardiff University claim.

Their cutting edge RadicalCAT project, led by Professor Rebecca Melen from the School of Chemistry, is supported by a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant.

The Cardiff University team will explore innovative ways to drive chemical reactions using main group (p-block) elements, focusing on single electron processes, especially those powered by electrochemistry.

Professor Rebecca Melen, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry, said “For decades, transition metals have ruled catalysis. And rightly so, they are powerful, versatile, and essential. But many, especially the precious metals, are expensive, scarce, and toxic. This is particularly problematic in pharmaceuticals where even minute contamination demands intensive purification – driving up cost and regulatory pressure. So, the question the RadicalCAT project will ask is: what if transition metals weren’t our only option?”

With total funding of approximately €2m, the ERC Consolidator Grant will allow Rebecca Melen to build a research team dedicated to advancing knowledge in metal free catalysis, opening doors to novel molecular architectures and greater sustainability.

The grant is one of Europe’s most prestigious funding schemes, supporting outstanding researchers with 7 to 12 years of experience after their PhD.

This year’s call had a total budget of €729m and attracted 3,121 applications, with only 349 projects selected for funding.

Ahead of the interview with the ERC, Rebecca Melen accessed Welsh Government Agile Cymru funding, which enabled her to complete specialist training in readiness.

With a success rate of just 11.3%, the competition was exceptionally strong, underscoring the outstanding quality and originality of her proposal.

She said “I am delighted to have received this award. It took several attempts and a lot of hard work, but it has absolutely been worth it.

“This grant allows us to rethink what main-group chemistry can achieve and to develop cleaner, smarter ways to make important molecules.”

RadicalCAT is expected to run for five years and begins in 2026.