Project description
Reinforced hydrogels for drug delivery
Hydrogels are innovative biomaterials that have found significant application in wound healing, drug delivery and in the manufacturing of contact lenses. However, their high water content renders them mechanically brittle. To strengthen and improve hydrogel performance, scientists of the EU-funded Net2Gel project are working on a new class of double network hydrogels based on polypeptides as patches. The aim is to employ novel chemistry to generate materials with enhanced properties that retain biocompatibility and are suitable for drug delivery applications. The scientific findings of the project have high commercial exploitation potential and are expected to advance hydrogel applications.
Objective
Polymer hydrogels contain over 90% water and are very useful materials in many biomedical areas such as contact lenses, drug delivery, wound healing, among others. However, many hydrogels are mechanically underperforming in that they are either too weak or too brittle. Double network hydrogels have shown significant promise to overcome this issue and mechanically strong or stretchable, elastic double network hydrogels have been reported. The overall aim of this project is to develop a new class of stretchable biocompatible double network hydrogels based on polypeptides as patches for transdermal drug delivery. The project will develop novel chemistry to achieve materials with enhanced properties validated for a drug delivey application by a multidisciplinary approach combining expertise in polymer chemistry, material science, drug delivery and biomaterial science. The project will foster new collaboration opportunities between research groups from different scientific fields. The high-level science is complemented by bespoke training activities, which will significantly advance the career opportunities of the applicant. A particular feasture of the project is the proposed development of a hydrogel school experiment in collaboration with the teachers-in-residence programme of the Irish Centre for Medical Device (CURAM) to foster scientific interest, motivation and encouragement for pupils in schools located in disadvantaged communities. Moreover, commercial exploitation of the scientific findings and developments will be explored.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2 DUBLIN
Ireland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.