Project description
A Slovenian research institute becomes an innovative force in microbe–surface interactions
Understanding the interactions at the interface between two different materials plays a critical role in material design in fields ranging from aerospace to biomedicine. Whether the material interacts with a solid, a liquid or a gas or with biological systems such as microbes or tissues, understanding and controlling surface interactions is paramount to the material's performance, safety and reliability. The Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia's leading scientific research institute, is creating an innovation hub to study microbe–surface interactions with the support of the EU-funded SurfBio project. Using high-tech methodologies and equipment, researchers plan to support material designers, biotechnology researchers, academic institutions, industry and policy makers with research services and assessments to optimise novel materials for a variety of applications.
Objective
Novel material’s design is a geopolitical challenge to provide safe, sustainable and cost-efficient industrial products; once in the environment, they face their (intended or not) exposure to biotic factors as microbial cells, which can cause high economic burdens.
Research in the cell-surface interaction field is being addressed from either a biological or a materials science perspective, usually with limited outputs due to the complexity of this topic. The application of both, state of the art spectroscopy and microscopy analytic technologies, microbiology and systems biology tools to study microbial-surface interactions can lead to a better understanding the processes occurring at their interface, which will contribute to provide ad-hoc solutions for materials design with enhanced properties, such as more durable materials (reducing losses), improved antimicrobial surfaces (health sector) or better microbial supports to increase the productivity of bioprocesses (pharma, food, agriculture).
The JSI’s excellent track in basic and applied multidisciplinary research areas, particularly in the combination of physical, chemical and biological processes influencing the environment and human affairs. SurfBio research package (spectrometry, imaging, smart biocarriers, nanoparticles characterization, microbiology, systems biology and bioinformatics), will reinforce JSI to successfully address the interdisciplinary of the topic.
Thus, JSI will lead an emerging discipline, coordinating expert institutions in synergistic fields, finally launching an Innovation Hub to provide research services and assessment to material designers and biotechnology researchers, academy, industry or policy makers. Twinning call matches the needs of the Slovenian research to boost their potential and visibility National and Internationally. Expertise of partners in promotion, funding search and project management and their wide network will support the JSI upgrade balanced and responsively.
Fields of science
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementinnovation management
- natural sciencesphysical sciencescondensed matter physicssoft matter physics
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsmicroscopy
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiology
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsspectroscopy
Keywords
Programme(s)
- H2020-EU.4.b. - Twinning of research institutions Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
CSA - Coordination and support actionCoordinator
1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia