All 11 researchers have been successfully recruited. During the reporting period, the consortium has advanced substantially on both training and research objectives. Two major schools (S1 in Göttingen, Germany, and S2 in Gdańsk, Poland) and a Hands-on Training on DL (HoT4) were organized, complemented by outreach events such as the Baltic Science Festival. An Ethics Advisor was appointed and the first Ethics Report was submitted, ensuring compliance with the required standards.
At the scientific level, significant progress has been achieved in all 3 Work Packages:
WP1 (Eye diseases and vision): New retinal processing models were developed; a webcam-based eye tracker and system for glaucoma screening were validated; multispectral imaging and ML improved retinal disease classification; and a first prototype of a tomographic micro-vibrography system combining OCT and ultrasound was built.
WP2 (Cardiovascular diseases): Optogenetics + ML methods for arrhythmia control were demonstrated; key nonlinear features for early cardiac event prediction were identified; a multimodal RGB–thermal imaging system and STREAM-NET for remote pulse estimation were created; and advanced MSOT reconstruction, plaque segmentation, and physics-informed ML methods were developed.
WP3 (Microscopy): Advances included new super-resolution image-formation frameworks, improved cryogenic/expansion microscopy workflows, and a GAN-based fluorescence-restoration method, alongside new high-quality microscopy datasets.
The scientific production has been consolidated through several publications in high-quality journals, including Scientific Reports, Knowledge-Based Systems, Nature Photonics, Advanced Materials, and Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, reflecting the strong scientific progress of the consortium.
Several congress communications and early publications highlight the project’s substantial scientific progress and innovative methodologies. Results have been actively disseminated through BE-LIGHT’s website, social media channels, and a dedicated Zenodo subcommunity within the EU Open Research Repository, ensuring broad visibility and accessibility.
