Category: Press release

The newspaper Delo published a podcast with Dr. Anja Černoša, InnoRenew CoE, UP IAM researcher.

The Supermoč podcast, hosted by Petra Kovič, offers relaxed, open conversations with Slovenian entrepreneurs about what gives them motivation and their “superpower”. It features discussions with successful Slovenians about what they do, how they work, and the energy and perseverance they bring to push the boundaries in their professions.

In the podcast, Dr. Anja Černoša presented ARCHI-SKIN project, led by Dr. Anna Sandak. The project focuses on developing advanced bioactive protective coating based on fungal biofilms. Researchers are studying how the structure and function of fungi influence the formation of protective layers, aiming to create materials that can self-heal and respond to environmental changes.

You are kindly invited to read the article and watch the podcast.

As a part of the Science4EU campaign the European Commission featured research projects that are creating new boundaries of knowledge and innovation with EU support. Among the presented projects is ARCHI-SKIN, led by dr. Anna Sandak, InnoRenew CoE, UP IAM researcher.

ARCHI-SKIN project develops bioinspired protective coating based on living fungal biofilms and other natural components. Its goal is to create materials that can self-heal and adapt to their environment, providing surfaces with sustainable and long-lasting protection.

You can watch the European Commission’s video as part of the Science4EU campaign where dr. Anna Sandak and dr. Anja Černoša share their thoughts and visions about the future development of this filed.

Watch the video here.

Four engineered living materials (ELMs) projects were presented at the NextGen Materials 2025 conference, held 23-25 September 2025 in Hamburg, Germany.

Dr. Anna Sandak delivered an oral presentation about the progress of the ERC ARCHI-SKIN project, and presented both a poster and a pitch on the EIC Pathfinder project REMEDY.

Dr. Wojciech Pajerski joined virtually, presenting the Biolumicoat and Livemat projects during the online poster session.

NextGen Materials 2025 brought together experts in materials science, engineering, computer science, and physics from both academia and industry to explore cutting-edge advancements in materials science.

This event is organized by the German Society for Materials Science (DGM), which is the largest scientific and technical society in the field of materials science and engineering in Germany.

Based on the analysis performed by Stanford University, Dr. Anna Sandak, InnoRenew CoE, UP IAM researcher, Materials research group leader and Associate Professor at the University of Primorska, is among the world’s top-cited scientists in 2024.

This is a new publicly available database that ranks the world’s top-cited scientists using standardized metrics, including citations, h-index, co-authorship, and a composite impact score (c-score). Based on Scopus data as of 1 August 2025, the database highlights research impact.

In 2022, Dr. Sandak secured the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant for the ARCHI-SKIN project, focusing on living fungal biofilm that protects biomaterials, concrete, plastic and metal surfaces. In 2024, she also became the first female scientific coordinator in Slovenia of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder grant for the REMEDY project, which aims to develop an archibiome tattoo that will allow bespoke and high-resolution decoration and functionalisation of new and existing buildings.

Read more here: https://elsevier.digitalcommonsdata.com/datasets/btchxktzyw/8

Congratulations!

The European Commission’s Research and Innovation Directorate-General organised a Reality Check on implementation aspects of Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation Framework Programme, as part of the Commission’s approach to better implementation and simplification.

It focused on practical experience with Horizon Europe, aiming to collect feedback on implementation from external stakeholders and identify opportunities for simplification.

Dr. Anna Sandak was among 5 panellists. She emphasized the InnoRenew project, its development and recent merge with University of Primorska, showcasing how European programs can build lasting research capacities in European widening countries. However, she also pointed out current challenges the project calls are facing and suggested possible improvements.

Besides her other researchers and innovators with extensive experience across the three main pillars of Horizon Europe shared their experiences with several Horizon Europe projects.

The event brought together more than 800 participants offering a valuable platform for discussion and exchange of ideas.

Watch here the video of the event and learn more about the Horizon Europe projects.

Dr. Wojciech Pajerski participated in the final meeting of COST Action WIRE, held  15–16 September 2025 in Mont-de-Marsan, France.

He shared practical guidance on applying to open-access research infrastructures, focusing on how to prepare competitive proposals and secure synchrotron beamtime for biointerface studies. Additionally he presented his experience preparing proposals for Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste (Italy) and SOLARIS (Kraków, Poland). His contribution was based on work within the ERC ARCHI-SKIN and Biolumicoat (ARIS, Slovenia) projects, where access to large-scale facilities has been essential for developing novel micro-imaging methodologies for Engineered Living Materials (ELMs).

The session highlighted best practices in experiment planning, sample logistics, and acknowledgements, helping the community make more effective use of European open-access research infrastructures.

Nature inspires, science builds: Fungi and the future of sustainable construction

Dr. Wojciech Pajerski, InnoRenew CoE researcher, is attending the 50th World Chemistry Congress (50WCC), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

He is presenting the InnoRenew CoE’s sustainable research vision and bioinspired approach to materials science. Specifically, Dr. Pajerski is showcasing the institute’s efforts in developing Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) through the following projects:

• REMEDY (Archibiome Tattoo for Resistant, Responsive, and Resilient Cities) – funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC)
• ARCHI-SKIN (Bioinspired living skin for architecture) – funded by the European Research Council (ERC)
• Biolumicoat (Bioluminescent microbial coating for architectural surfaces) – MSCA Seal of Excellence project supported by ARIS

This international event offers a valuable platform to highlight contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to strengthen collaboration with scientists from across the globe.

Dr. Anna Sandak, InnoRenew CoE Deputy director and head of research department for materials, attended the second meeting of the Technology Council for Advanced Materials, which was held on 25 June 2025.

High-level representatives from Member States, academia & industry, discussed how to join forces to advance EU industrial leadership. Additionally, reports on “uptake and deployment of advanced materials” and “advanced materials for medical devices” were endorsed by the members of the council.

The Technology Council has been announced in the Communication on Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership and established by the relevant Commission Decision.

At the international NIR conference held at Auditorium della Tecnica (Rome, Italy; 8–12 June 2025), Anja Černoša shared ARCHI-SKIN results titled “Spectroscopic Analysis of Aureobasidium pullulans Biofilm for the Development of Living Coating for Architecture.” The contribution used FT-NIR and FTIR spectroscopy to compare A. pullulans biofilms across growth media, revealing media-dependent chemical signatures that will guide the design of living coatings for architectural applications. This work advances ARCHI-SKIN’s interdisciplinary goals across microbiology, spectroscopy, and materials science.