The last Friday of September 2022 marked the return of the European Researchers’ Night — the annual celebration of innovative research taking place simultaneously in more than 30 countries and 300 cities throughout Europe.
The diverse programme included games, hands-on activities, a photo booth, and the ERN2022 Photo Exhibition. We learned about biosensors, explored the world of microchips, showcased how we are fighting water pollution, illustrated how fluids work at different scales and shared the passion and the special work MISSION NERD is developing by spreading scientific knowledge to the community.
These were just a few of the possible applications that International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), and ECUM – University of Minho many other partners introduced to more than 1300 visitors 2022 European Researchers’ Night, at Altice Fórum Braga.
The audience defied all researchers with relevant questions and expressed genuine wonder as they saw “magic” happening before their eyes.
This year, ‘Science for Everyone – Sustainability and Inclusion’ was the motto that framed an event committed to raise awareness about the role of science in achieving sustainability and inclusion goals among school students and different audiences, while identifying key societal concerns about climate change and sustainable growth and linking them to science-oriented solutions and proposals.
Back to a Healthy Future: Inno4cov19 showcases MedTech solutions in Brussels
Between September 21 and 22, the EC-funded project led by INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory – Inno4cov-19 joined forces with Covidx to showcase the novel medical technologies developed by companies supported over the last 2 years by both projects.
Under the motto Back to a Healthy Future, the 2-day programme exploited the results achieved within the two European projects, with the final goal of enhancing and fostering the uptake of the solutions presented and, consequently, contributing to preparing Europe for future challenges.
The event took place in AREA 42, Brussels, connecting 25 companies with crucial stakeholders – from investors to potential collaborators, the European Commission and European partners – aiming to exploit the results achieved and enhance further collaboration opportunities.
The +100 participants had the chance to explore the presented solutions, join the discussion around relevant topics for the development of medical technologies – such as regulatory barriers and lessons learnt, and enrol in matchmaking sessions with all the parties involved.
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Since 2020, INNO4COV-19 is committed to boosting innovation for COVID19 diagnostic, prevention and surveillance.
European Researchers’ Night returns next week to Braga
The European Researchers’ Night 2022 (ERN 2022) will be back in Portugal, next week, with the theme “Science for All (SCIEVER) – Inclusion and Sustainability”, within a national consortium coordinated by the University of Lisbon, through the National Museum of Natural History and Science (MUHNAC), which also integrates the INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, and the School of Sciences of the University of Minho.
The initiative will take place on September 30th, between 4 pm and midnight, with a national online program and local activities in Braga, Coimbra, Lisbon and Évora.
The theme of the European Researchers’ Night 2022 – ‘SCIEVER’ – will contribute simultaneously to two main objectives: (i) improving the understanding of the importance of scientific careers development and science investments; (ii) increasing researchers’ understanding of the role of society as a whole for sustainable science policies development.
The goal of our consortium is to directly respond to Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) goals of the EU framework program by raising public awareness, also among school communities, about the relevance of science to assure resources preservation, decarbonization and inclusion and by bridging the gap between scientists and society, giving researchers the opportunity to perceive the main concerns of citizens and how those see and understand their work. Schools and their students will be involved in activities during the whole project, in order to ensure the impact of such communities.
The European project consortium includes as partners the National Museum of Natural History and Science of the University of Lisbon, the Nova School of Sciences and Technology of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, the Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, the Municipality of Lisbon, the Estoril School of Hospitality and Tourism, the INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, the School of Sciences of the University of Minho, the University of Évora, and the University of Coimbra.
Join us, at Altice Fórum Braga, next week! It will be fun!
INL and Sogrape share a patent for sensors to monitor grape ripeness
INL and Sogrape share a patent for sensors to monitor grape ripeness, an action that follows a partnership that began in 2015. This partnership and work explore opportunities for emerging technologies, such as microelectronics and nanotechnology, for the wine sector.
Without needing vineyard samples or laboratory analysis, the sensor analyses the light that is reemitted by the grape tissue, which varies according to the levels of sugars and organic acids in the grape. During ripening, the sugar content increases and the organic acid content decreases.
The innovation of the design lies in the way the sensors are attached to the bunch of grapes and the ability to analyse several berries in the bunch at the same time, which gives a representative view of the variation that exists within each bunch, between bunches and between vines in the same vineyard, giving the wine-grower and winemaker an accurate picture of how ripening occurs in each location, in real-time.
The simplicity of the registered concept and the use of precision optoelectronic micro-components in its construction allows the prospect of commercialisation at affordable prices when it becomes mass-produced. The patent has been registered in the European Union, United Kingdom, USA, South Africa, China and Australia and awaits registration in New Zealand and Chile.
Since revealing its purpose, INL — Internationational Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory has been working hard to fulfil its promise of becoming a world reference for nanotechnology. “With this patent sharing agreement, the result of 5 years of joint work between INL and Sogrape, we pave the way for a more consolidated intellectual property exploitation plan and bring the Internet of Things (IoT) to the vineyards – the real in situ “sensing”,” states Prof. Paulo Freitas, Acting General Manager of INL.
Sogrape’s R&D department has promoted long-lasting partnerships for several years to bring scientific excellence to the development and progress of the wine sector. According to António Graça, “this patent arose from a challenge we pitched to INL based on a dream of having a more accurate and real vision of grape ripening“. “INL researchers responded to the challenge by interacting with us periodically and frequently. Naturally, there were moments of appreciation for our wines that helped explain what words could not. And, thus, the invention was born“, Sogrape’s Head of R&D said.
INL Colloquium with Professor Wojciech Chrzanowski
Join us for the upcoming free INL Colloquium with Professor Wojciech Chrzanowski “Nano for nano: Advanced nanoscale characterisation and organ-on-a-chip technology for the development of the next generation nanomedicines’“which will take place next Tuesday, 27 September 2022, at INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory.
Professor Wojciech Chrzanowski is the Head of the Nano-medicine and Nano-Bio-Characterisation laboratory in the Faculty of Medicine and Health. He is a biomedical engineer who translates the science of nanoparticles and bio-characterisation at the nanoscale to human applications.
His work addresses a pressing need for effective nanotechnologies that regulate cells to promote desired tissue repair. Wojciech laboratory pioneers the use of nanoscale characterisation techniques to understand the interactions of nanoparticles with biological systems. To this end, he develops solutions to determine the safety of nano-materials by measuring their effects in different environments. From there, he learns to design less harmful nano-materials to keep people and the environment safe.
Wojciech’s contribution to the field is exemplified by over 200 peer-reviewed publications, six patents, and over 70 invited talks and seminars. He is a recipient of 16 prizes and awards for his work including the 2019 Barry Inglis Medal from the National Measurement Institute, the 2018 Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research and Education, and the 2018 Outstanding Paper Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry. His proven ability to lead a translational research program to fruitful completion was recognized by his award of a place in the 2019 SPARK Accelerating Australia program to commercialise his team’s aerosol device for EV delivery to lungs. In addition to academia, he successfully established research programs in the industry, and he leads a research program in nanotechnology for non-invasive medicine.
In addition, he co-leads an Australian arm of the Horizon2020 international program Shaping Innovative Products for Sustainable Tissue Engineering Strategies – SHIFT.
This workshop is being promoted under the SiNfONiA project. It’s main goal is to boost RTD activities in the nanosafety arena and strengthen the research and innovation potential of INL.
Join us at INL, Braga – Portugal. It’s free!
Note: if you have any doubt about how to arrive or enter INL send us an email: communication@inl.int.
NANOCULTURE, monitoring the exposure of the nanoparticles on aquaculture specimens
The use of engineered nanoparticles is growing significantly, and many of the products used in our everyday life, such as water filters, dyes, cosmetics, fabrics, food packaging or cleaning products, have metallic nanoparticles in their composition.
However, the studies of risks and mitigation of the presence of nanoparticles in the environment are lagging far behind, representing a critical environmental and safety challenge.
Given the importance of the aquaculture sector for the Atlantic Area, possible adverse effects of the use of engineered nonpoint sources of pollution in aquaculture should be well understood in order to ensure maximum safety of food products and the environmental-related impacts of the activity. Therefore, the objective of NANOCULTURE is to advance the knowledge, risk assessment and mitigation of the environmental presence of the most-used engineered nanoparticles in market products: titanium dioxide and silver nanoparticles.
The focus of the project is the aquatic ecosystems related to aquaculture, a sector of high economic relevance in the Atlantic area, namely organisms used for human consumption (cultured fish, molluscs, seaweed, sea urchins). INL researchers from the Water Quality research group developed sensors able to detect the presence of engineered metallic nanoparticles in aquaculture. Furthermore, these sensors can monitor the exposure of the nanoparticles on aquaculture specimens, and bioaccumulation, and assess their impact on human intake.
The NANOCULTURE project is a strong collaboration between INL and Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR (Portugal), Indigo Rock Marine Research Station (Ireland), Universidade de Vigo, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela and Centro Tecnológico del Cluster de la Acuicultura de Galicia (Spain) and will have it’s final event on September 22, 2022. An open event that will gather aquaculture professionals, scientific profiles (analytical chemists, physical chemists, and molecular biologists) and anyone who finds curiosity in this area of study. Join us!
Next Page » « Previous Page -->The use of engineered nanoparticles is growing significantly, and many of the products used in our everyday life, such as water filters, dyes, cosmetics, fabrics, food packaging or cleaning products, have metallic nanoparticles in their composition.
However, the studies of risks and mitigation of the presence of nanoparticles in the environment are lagging far behind, representing a critical environmental and safety challenge.
Given the importance of the aquaculture sector for the Atlantic Area, possible adverse effects of the use of engineered nonpoint sources of pollution in aquaculture should be well understood in order to ensure maximum safety of food products and the environmental-related impacts of the activity. Therefore, the objective of NANOCULTURE is to advance the knowledge, risk assessment and mitigation of the environmental presence of the most-used engineered nanoparticles in market products: titanium dioxide and silver nanoparticles.
The focus of the project is the aquatic ecosystems related to aquaculture, a sector of high economic relevance in the Atlantic area, namely organisms used for human consumption (cultured fish, molluscs, seaweed, sea urchins). INL researchers from the Water Quality research group developed sensors able to detect the presence of engineered metallic nanoparticles in aquaculture. Furthermore, these sensors can monitor the exposure of the nanoparticles on aquaculture specimens, and bioaccumulation, and assess their impact on human intake.
The NANOCULTURE project is a strong collaboration between INL and Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR (Portugal), Indigo Rock Marine Research Station (Ireland), Universidade de Vigo, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela and Centro Tecnológico del Cluster de la Acuicultura de Galicia (Spain) and will have it’s final event on September 22, 2022. An open event that will gather aquaculture professionals, scientific profiles (analytical chemists, physical chemists, and molecular biologists) and anyone who finds curiosity in this area of study. Join us!