Nine research projects involving scientists from Poland will be funded by the National Science Centre (NCN) in the M-ERA.NET Call 2023 for international research projects on materials and battery technologies. One of them is SMARTGEL - smart nanogels containing natural antimicrobial agents for the prevention of urinary tract infections by interfering with inter- and intra-species communication of pathogens, in which the leader of the Polish team is Prof. Robert Bucki, PhD, from the Department of Medical Microbiology and Nanobiomedical Engineering at the Medical University of Bialystok. The coordinator of the international project is Dr Kristina Ivanova from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain. The project lasts three years and the MUB budget amounts to PLN 386,740 PLN.
The grant was prepared as part of an established collaboration between Dr Urszula Wnorowska and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain, as part of a two-month ERASMUS+ trip. Dr Urszula Wnorowska, while participating in the ERASMUS+ programme, had the opportunity to establish a close collaboration with Dr Kristina Ivanova from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, which resulted in the effective preparation of the SMARTGEL grant application.
The aim of the SMARTGEL project is to develop nanogels that have the ability to effectively eliminate pathogenic microorganisms and inhibit biofilm formation on urinary catheters, and could make a significant contribution to reducing the incidence of medical device-associated urinary tract infections (MD-UTIs). In Europe, these infections are responsible for an economic loss of approximately €7 billion per year and result in an additional 16 million days of hospitalisation. More than 80% of these infections are associated with the formation of a biofilm of microorganisms that show resistance to traditional antibiotics.
SMARTGEL represents a potentially significant advance in MD-UTIs prevention, providing a comprehensive approach to addressing this problem with a focus on providing improved patient safety, treatment efficacy and societal benefits (significant reduction in treatment costs).
Funding under the M-ERA.NET Call 2023 will be awarded to a total of 15 projects involving scientists from Poland, 6 of which will be funded by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) and 9 by the NCN. The aim is to fund ambitious transnational RTD projects addressing materials research and innovation including materials for batteries and low carbon energy technologies.
