Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MOBILIsE (Molecular Bioengineering in health ERA chair)
Período documentado: 2021-01-01 hasta 2022-06-30
MOBILIsE will promote and consolidate the reputation of the Instituto Nacional de Engenharia Biomédica - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto (INEB/i3S) as a world-leading institution in the field of Molecular Bioengineering.
Molecular Bioengineering applies the most recent advances in science and engineering to develop molecular tools for solving complex problems in medicine, such as targeted therapies and molecular diagnosis.
MOBILIsE will allow the recruitment of an outstanding researcher in the field of Molecular Bioengineering, the ERA Chair Holder, to establish a new research group at INEB/i3S. The ERA-Chair will create a synergic and cohesive research environment among key stakeholders (academy, research institutes, clinicians, and industry) in the Porto region through the creation of the MOBILIsE hub.
MOBILIsE will also contribute to the training of the future generations of researchers in Molecular Bioengineering and will have an impact in the development of new businesses in this field.
Molecular Bioengineering applies the most recent advances in science and engineering to develop molecular tools for solving complex problems in medicine, such as targeted therapies and molecular diagnosis.
MOBILIsE will allow the recruitment of an outstanding researcher in the field of Molecular Bioengineering, the ERA Chair Holder, to establish a new research group at INEB/i3S. The ERA-Chair will create a synergic and cohesive research environment among key stakeholders (academy, research institutes, clinicians, and industry) in the Porto region through the creation of the MOBILIsE hub.
MOBILIsE will also contribute to the training of the future generations of researchers in Molecular Bioengineering and will have an impact in the development of new businesses in this field.
An important milestone achieved in MOBILIsE has been the hiring of the ERA Chair Holder, Dr Helena Azevedo who is an internationally established researcher with prominent reputation in biomolecular engineering. She will establish a new Research Group at INEB/i3S, the Molecular Biomaterials Group. Her work applies concepts from Chemistry, Biology and Engineering to develop innovative self-assembling biomaterials (hydrogels, membranes, drug delivery carriers) for regenerative medicine, targeted therapies, and in vitro tissue models. Together with her team, she will develop precision medicine technologies, based on molecular bionanomaterials, to underpin research in cancer, infection, neurodegenerative diseases and tissue repair/regeneration. Dr Helena Azevedo is currently setting up her laboratory at INEB/i3S and has recruited her research team, consisting of an Assistant Researcher, two Junior Researchers, and a Research Technician. A Project Manager was also hired in the beginning of the project.
In addition, a self-assessment of the progress of INEB/i3S towards the implementation of the ERA priorities has been performed and a plan towards achieving them has been laid out. During this period, the HR excellence in Research Award has also been conferred to the institute.
Reflecting the importance of MOBILIsE’s stakeholders to the project, different initiatives have been planned to boost the interaction between them and the project:
• Dissemination of the project and its results in different national and international conferences by the ERA Chair Holder and other members of the project.
• The launch of the Molecular Bioengineering Seminar Series at INEB/i3S, with seminars from renowned scientists in the field.
• Organisation of stakeholder-focussed Open Days, in which MOBILIsE will host the visit of industrial or clinical stakeholders in order to find synergies and promote the establishment of new collaborations.
Moreover, the visual identity of the project has been established, the first version of the website has been created, and several communication materials have been prepared. The project participated in the 2021 European Researcher’s Night with three different displays introducing to the general public how biomaterials can be used to improve human health.
In addition, a self-assessment of the progress of INEB/i3S towards the implementation of the ERA priorities has been performed and a plan towards achieving them has been laid out. During this period, the HR excellence in Research Award has also been conferred to the institute.
Reflecting the importance of MOBILIsE’s stakeholders to the project, different initiatives have been planned to boost the interaction between them and the project:
• Dissemination of the project and its results in different national and international conferences by the ERA Chair Holder and other members of the project.
• The launch of the Molecular Bioengineering Seminar Series at INEB/i3S, with seminars from renowned scientists in the field.
• Organisation of stakeholder-focussed Open Days, in which MOBILIsE will host the visit of industrial or clinical stakeholders in order to find synergies and promote the establishment of new collaborations.
Moreover, the visual identity of the project has been established, the first version of the website has been created, and several communication materials have been prepared. The project participated in the 2021 European Researcher’s Night with three different displays introducing to the general public how biomaterials can be used to improve human health.
MOBILIsE aims to raise INEB/i3S scientific and innovation capabilities to an international level of excellence in the field of Molecular Bioengineering by the recruitment of an outstanding researcher of international reputation in the field (ERA Chair Holder) to create a Group at the institute.
Although being recently hired, the ERA Chair Holder (Dr Helena Azevedo) has already contributed to increasing the national and international visibility of the project and of INEB/i3S. New contacts with industrial stakeholders have been undertaken and collaborations between the ERA-CH and INEB/i3S groups have been established to enable and promote the innovation potential, through IP generation and publication of high impact research, and enhanced competitive advantage in grant applications.
Although being recently hired, the ERA Chair Holder (Dr Helena Azevedo) has already contributed to increasing the national and international visibility of the project and of INEB/i3S. New contacts with industrial stakeholders have been undertaken and collaborations between the ERA-CH and INEB/i3S groups have been established to enable and promote the innovation potential, through IP generation and publication of high impact research, and enhanced competitive advantage in grant applications.