BIGTOP · Breakthrough industry grade tagging of plastic products

BIGTOP aims to bring a groundbreaking molecular tagging technology for plastic materials closer to the market by making use of sequence-defined oligomers developed under the ERC advanced grant CiMaC project. These molecular tags, which encode information using precise monomer sequences, offer a powerful solution for product traceability, anti-counterfeiting, and origin identification across industries. Thanks to the research in CiMaC, we have already demonstrated the scalable synthesis and high temperature stability of these sequence-defined oligomers, bridging the gap between academic innovation and industrial feasibility. BIGTOP will focus on remaining critical challenges such as ensuring that these tags maintain their integrity throughout real-world manufacturing processes, including high-temperature extrusion and curing. Our patent-protected research confirms that oligoamides meet such demands, offering exceptional thermal and mechanical stability when directly incorporated into materials. In practice, this technology enables fast and simple initial detection via UV or fluorescence spectroscopy, followed by highly specific molecular identification using tandem mass spectrometry techniques. This combination of tag robustness, simplicity of use and precision multi-level detection, offers a unique technological innovation for industrial grade tagging of plastics. The growing regulatory pressure around material provenance and sustainability claims, alongside concerns with regard to counterfeiting in high-value supply chains, underpins the demand for this type of robust molecular tags. BIGTOP will validate that the tagging concept is compatible with large-scale production processes, identify the most promising market segments, and finally develop a valorization strategy. To ensure success, the project will combine insights from polymer chemistry, manufacturing scale-up and business development, positioning the technology for successful uptake by industry.