The CleanAir project relates to the application of an innovative and novel geometrically extended electrode design to be integrated in air ionizers. This innovative electrode design has already been pre-tested successfully for efficient electrostatic disinfection and particle removal from air. Contrary to other air ionizers available on the market it does not produce any harmful substances such as ozone or NOx because corona discharges will not occur. As a further innovative step, the electrode can be manufactured in different and much larger sizes and various 3D geometries to make them suitable to different needs from the medical end consumers for mounting them in examination and treatment rooms. The final product will be easily adaptable to be used efficiently in rooms of different sizes and heights. The aim of the CleanAir project is to develop this technology to a market-ready and CE mark certified device for series production for protecting health practitioners and their patients against COVID-19 infections. Market ready devices for three application areas will be preferentially developed in the project: for dental treatment rooms, for medical doctors offices and for patients rooms in a hospital. The project will prepare all required documentation, marketing information, customer portfolio and a sales and detailed business plan for being ready after the end of the project to start the series production and commercialization phase.

Nanotechnology concepts have integrated into almost all aspects of current research and the present research area is recognised to be one of nanoscience. Nanomaterials are promising materials to develop new technologies in every branch of science and technology. This is also true when it comes to the biomedical field, where nanotechnology in the form of nanomedicine has a great potential to overcome some of the current limitations using conventional analytical and therapeutic approaches. The focal point of the LungCare project is to turn nanotechnological potentials into tangible outcomes with benefits for patients and the society at large. The philosophy behind LungCare is to provide improvement to the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infections via nanovaccines and inhalable therapeutics. It focuses also on the pending question for early and accurate diagnostics of tuberculosis (TB) and lung cancer via the development of sensitive point of care testing devices. In case of lung cancer, sensor development will be accompanied by quantitative image analysis to increase diagnostic accuracy and improve our understanding of the disease characteristics. The LungCare project aims at training of the next generation of students in this rapidly advancing field at the interface between chemistry-physics-biology-medicine and to up-date and improve the know-how of senior researchers and PIs in important parts of nanomedicine such as clinical assay development, state-of the art of organoid developments to limit in vivo testing via and the implementation of artificial intelligent in diagnostics. The different intersectoral secondments to 2 European countries (France, Austria), 2 associated countries (Turkey, Ukraine) and one associated partner (Argentina) will strengthen nanomedicine on the EU level, will encourage knowledge gain and will insure preserving high level research activities under the EU umbrella.

LaserImplant - Laser-induced hierarchical micro-/nano-structures for controlled cell adhesion at implants A large application area of medical implants are currently dental prostheses – a rapidly growing market in ageing societies. These implants consisting of Ti or a Ti-alloy should provide good and fast osseo-integration into the jaw bone. Opposed to that demand, in other applications (for instance for bone screws and plates), the implants may have to be removed after some months or several years and shall, therefore, not be completely overgrown by the bodies’ cells. Hence, a one-step laser-based surface functionalization of implant materials for controlling the cell growth is strongly desired. The goal of the EIC Pathfinder pilot (FET-Proactive) project LaserImplant is the cooperation between academia, research centers, laser-processing device developers and implant producers for future development of smart medical implants addressing wide-spread patient’s needs in the fields of dental prostheses and screws and plates for bone regeneration. The project activities include to pave the pathway for commercialization of laser-functionalized implants, the exploration of industrial up-scaling strategies (including a demonstrator of implant functionalization machines to be conceived and built at the end of the project), and the dissemination and exploitation of the results.

Reshaping the life-cycle of electronics, from raw materials to end-of-life, is inevitably one of the fundamental steps to accomplish towards a sustainable economy and society. The ambition of the HyPELignum project is to propose and demonstrate a holistic approach (from sourcing of raw materials until the end-of-life of devices) for the manufacturing of electronics with net zero carbon emissions centred around additive manufacturing and wooden and wood derived materials (i.e. bio-derived or bio-polymers from wood waste). Wood has been identified since it is a largely available and technically versatile material which has and will keep having a key relevance in constructions and households (New European Bauhaus initiative). Furthermore, its biogenic nature makes it pivotal in the European Community effort toward a carbon neutral society. HyPELignum pillars are: (i) implementation of the biogenic material, wood, as substrate for the additive manufacturing of electronic; (ii) implementation of Lignocellulosic materials (from wood production waste), bio-derived resins and abundant and low impact transition metals in the needed functional materials; (iii) the development of highly energy efficient µchip for driving integrated sensing systems; (iv) exploring new avenues for allowing the recycling of wood and recovery of electronic materials. Importantly in addition to the technical development the project will also dedicate a significant effort in the sustainability assessment (life cycle, toxicity, and biodegradability) to: (i) contribute actively to the consolidation of the definition of green and circular electronics and (ii) to propose a decision-making tool for assessment of green and circular electronics.