Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SUPRALIFE (Unlocking the scientific excellence and innovation capacity of the University of Aveiro in supramolecular multicomponent biomaterials for enabling advanced biomaterials for healthcare)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-03-31
The SUPRALIFE project aims to create an international scientific and training network to accelerate the pace on non-covalent strategies to develop advanced supramolecular multifunctional biopolymeric materials, exhibiting dynamic and adaptive behavior, bioactive properties and multifunctionalities, for healthcare by functionalizing biopolymers with self-assembling motifs.
The SUPRALIFE consortium, composed by the University of Aveiro (UAVR), as the coordinator institution, the Technical University of Eidhoven (TU/e), the University of Bordeaux (UBx), and its affiliated entities Polytechnical Institute of Bordeaux (IPB) and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), aims to boost the scientific excellence in the field of supramolecular biomaterials for healthcare by pursuing the following specific objectives:
• Enhance the scientific and technological excellence, innovation capacity and research profile of UAVR and its scientific community in supramolecular biomaterials’ chemistry in an international competitive level.
• Strengthen the research management and administration skills of UAVR’s staff.
• Significantly increase the international visibility of UAVR and of its researchers/staff and unleash its networking gaps with internationally leading R&D organizations and the private sector.
• Create a strong, long-lasting and sustainable collaborative network between UAVR-TU/e-UBx-IPB-CNRS and with other outstanding organizations, industries and hospitals on supramolecular biomaterials.
• Increase the number of peer-reviewed publications in top-quality international journals and highly cited ones.
• Create new supramolecular biomaterials and biomedical products/devices generating IP with a social and economic impact, contributing to the sustainability of UAVR.
• Devise new research lines in the field that can contribute to create new jobs, attract and retain talent and, consequently, to develop the Center Region and Portugal as a whole in the long-term.
The SUPRALIFE consortium, composed by the University of Aveiro (UAVR), as the coordinator institution, the Technical University of Eidhoven (TU/e), the University of Bordeaux (UBx), and its affiliated entities Polytechnical Institute of Bordeaux (IPB) and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), aims to boost the scientific excellence in the field of supramolecular biomaterials for healthcare by pursuing the following specific objectives:
• Enhance the scientific and technological excellence, innovation capacity and research profile of UAVR and its scientific community in supramolecular biomaterials’ chemistry in an international competitive level.
• Strengthen the research management and administration skills of UAVR’s staff.
• Significantly increase the international visibility of UAVR and of its researchers/staff and unleash its networking gaps with internationally leading R&D organizations and the private sector.
• Create a strong, long-lasting and sustainable collaborative network between UAVR-TU/e-UBx-IPB-CNRS and with other outstanding organizations, industries and hospitals on supramolecular biomaterials.
• Increase the number of peer-reviewed publications in top-quality international journals and highly cited ones.
• Create new supramolecular biomaterials and biomedical products/devices generating IP with a social and economic impact, contributing to the sustainability of UAVR.
• Devise new research lines in the field that can contribute to create new jobs, attract and retain talent and, consequently, to develop the Center Region and Portugal as a whole in the long-term.
SUPRALIFE organized a series of knowledge sharing, training and networking events aiming to stepping up and stimulate the scientific excellence and innovation capacity of UAVR researchers in the field of functional supramolecular multicomponent biomaterials for healthcare, and boost the international visibility, recognition and potential of the institution and its scientific community. The events organized during the first fifteen months of the project included:
- two summer schools at the UAVR (Figure 1 and 2);
- one hands-on workshop at TU/e (Figure 3);
- one scientific retreat in Portugal (Figure 4);
- two symposia in major international conference in the chemistry and biomaterials fields (Figure 5 and 6).
In addition, the consortium initiated the exploratory scientific research project towards the development of bioinstructive supramolecular multicomponent biomaterials to interface with living systems, which already resulted in the publication of eight peer-reviewed scientific articles in international journals.
Furthermore, the consortium organized a series of activities with the aim of increasing the competitive and outperforming level of the scientific community at national, European and international levels. Those activities included:
- a survey and a focus group session (Figure 7) to identify the needs of UAVR researchers and raise awareness to the role and relevance of research management and administration staff;
- five debriefing sessions (Figure 8) and one short-term visit to TU/e (Figure 9) aiming to strengthen the research management and administration skills of UAVR’s research support office (GAI) and other support staff to better support UAVR’s researchers;
- five on-site training workshops (Figure 10) to enhance the capacity of UAVR’s researchers and staff in preparing competitive proposals and efficiently manage european funded projects.
- two summer schools at the UAVR (Figure 1 and 2);
- one hands-on workshop at TU/e (Figure 3);
- one scientific retreat in Portugal (Figure 4);
- two symposia in major international conference in the chemistry and biomaterials fields (Figure 5 and 6).
In addition, the consortium initiated the exploratory scientific research project towards the development of bioinstructive supramolecular multicomponent biomaterials to interface with living systems, which already resulted in the publication of eight peer-reviewed scientific articles in international journals.
Furthermore, the consortium organized a series of activities with the aim of increasing the competitive and outperforming level of the scientific community at national, European and international levels. Those activities included:
- a survey and a focus group session (Figure 7) to identify the needs of UAVR researchers and raise awareness to the role and relevance of research management and administration staff;
- five debriefing sessions (Figure 8) and one short-term visit to TU/e (Figure 9) aiming to strengthen the research management and administration skills of UAVR’s research support office (GAI) and other support staff to better support UAVR’s researchers;
- five on-site training workshops (Figure 10) to enhance the capacity of UAVR’s researchers and staff in preparing competitive proposals and efficiently manage european funded projects.
The results of the SUPRALIFE project contributed to:
(i) Improve the excellence capacity and resources in Portugal (Widening country) enabling to close the still apparent research and innovation gap within Europe.
(ii) Enhance the strategic networking activities, reputation, attractiveness, and research profile of UAVR, as well as the research profile of its staff seeding up the expertise and international reputation of the high-performing consortium partners TU/e, UBx and its AE IPB and CNRS.
(iii) Enhance the research management capacity and administrative skills of UAVR’s GAI, CICECO and other research units by leveraging the experience, international reputation and best practices of the internationally leading partners.
In the medium and long term, the results of the SUPRALIFE project are expected to:
(i) Stimulate the creativity and promote the mobility of students, post-doc researchers and staff among the consortium the consortium partners which will be expected to be kept in long-term by raising new applications for competitive funds.
(ii) Enrich UAVR’s students/researchers/staff’s knowledge as well as the knowledge of other Portuguese institutions attending the events organized by SUPRALIFE consortium and increase their qualification on supramolecular biomaterials chemistry.
(iii) Enable structural changes for raising a more competitive R&I system at UAVR and throughout Portuguese universities as a result of the collaboration with the research management units of the internationally leading partners.
(iv) Create a new research line and jobs at UAVR for retaining highly skilled researchers trained under the scope of SUPRALIFE and attract new ones. As such, long-lasting collaborative network is expected to contribute to the creation of a poll of highly qualified researchers in the field that will be able to train other researchers beyond the project timeframe and secure competitive funding opportunities at national, regional, EU and international levels.
(i) Improve the excellence capacity and resources in Portugal (Widening country) enabling to close the still apparent research and innovation gap within Europe.
(ii) Enhance the strategic networking activities, reputation, attractiveness, and research profile of UAVR, as well as the research profile of its staff seeding up the expertise and international reputation of the high-performing consortium partners TU/e, UBx and its AE IPB and CNRS.
(iii) Enhance the research management capacity and administrative skills of UAVR’s GAI, CICECO and other research units by leveraging the experience, international reputation and best practices of the internationally leading partners.
In the medium and long term, the results of the SUPRALIFE project are expected to:
(i) Stimulate the creativity and promote the mobility of students, post-doc researchers and staff among the consortium the consortium partners which will be expected to be kept in long-term by raising new applications for competitive funds.
(ii) Enrich UAVR’s students/researchers/staff’s knowledge as well as the knowledge of other Portuguese institutions attending the events organized by SUPRALIFE consortium and increase their qualification on supramolecular biomaterials chemistry.
(iii) Enable structural changes for raising a more competitive R&I system at UAVR and throughout Portuguese universities as a result of the collaboration with the research management units of the internationally leading partners.
(iv) Create a new research line and jobs at UAVR for retaining highly skilled researchers trained under the scope of SUPRALIFE and attract new ones. As such, long-lasting collaborative network is expected to contribute to the creation of a poll of highly qualified researchers in the field that will be able to train other researchers beyond the project timeframe and secure competitive funding opportunities at national, regional, EU and international levels.