Dr. Anja Černoša, InnoRenew CoE, UP IAM researcher, welcomed at InnoRenew CoE, a group of representatives from the Slovenian Third Age University. She presented the ARCHI-SKIN project, which develops bioinspired protective coating based on living fungal biofilms and other natural components. She also explained the concept of Engineered Living Materials and probiotic architecture researched in the REMEDY project. Additionally, she outlined other ongoing projects at InnoRenew CoE. Then they toured the building and laboratories, where she introduced interesting aspects of the architecture and explained the main functions of the laboratories. The visitors were also greeted by Dr. Anna Sandak, InnoRenew CoE, UP IAM researcher and coordinator of the ARCHI-SKIN project, and by Dr. Andreja Kutnar, acting department chair of InnoRenew CoE, UP IAM.
The REMEDY project partners prepared the first project newsletter, offering insights into its goals and partners endeavours to provide a new dimension for conventional materials that has not yet existed– life.
Successfully applying in the BOOST programme and joining the EIC Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) Portfolio, REMEDY is gaining recognition across the scientific and innovation community.
The EIC Engineered Living Materials and the SMEs Executive Agency also released a collection of short presentation videos from projects in the EIC ELMs portfolio, which were recorded at InnoRenew CoE during the 3rd EIC ELM Annual Meeting The meeting was hosted by REMEDY project.
REMEDY, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme (European Innovation Council), is led by University of Primorska, and includes partners from University of Ljubljana, Technical University of Graz, TIGER Coatings, Xylotrade B.V., and Qres Technologies.
The EIC Engineered Living Materials and the SMEs Executive Agency have released a collection of short presentation videos from projects in the Engineered Living Materials (ELM) portfolio. The videos were recorded during the 3rd annual meeting of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Engineered Living Materials portfolio, held 1-2 October 2025, at the University of Primorska, InnoRenew CoE in Izola.
All ten projects from the ELM portfolio are featured in the presentation videos: SUMO, BioRobot-MiniHeart, PRISM-LT, Bioaction, Bio-HhOST, ISOS, NextSkins, LoopOfFun, Fungateria and REMEDY. They present the projects and offer an overview of their goals, research approaches and innovative solutions in the field of engineered living materials.
Dr. Wojciech Pajerski, InnoRenew CoE, UP IAM researcher, participated at the Safe and sustainable by design conference 2025 (SSbD25), held 10 – 12 November 2025, in Dübendorf, Switzerland.
He presented the REMEDY project, funded by EIC, and highlighted its relevance for the development of engineered living materials (ELMs) within the Safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) framework.
The event gathered 125 participants from 21 countries and featured over 100 presentations showcasing practical approaches, innovative assessment tools, and cross-sector collaboration to advance safer and more sustainable innovation.
The event fostered dialogue between researchers, industry, and policymakers. It was organized by Empa and the IRISS project.
The REMEDY project contributes to the rapidly growing field engineered Living Materials (ELMs), supporting the development of sustainable, adaptive, and health-responsive building solutions. As part of a broader European effort to integrate biology and architecture, REMEDY works alongside related initiatives at InnoRenew CoE and across the EIC Pathfinder community. A newly released ELM Research Line brochure presents how EMEDY connects with other ELM-related projects and initiatives developed at InnoRenew CoE, forming a coherent research vision that bridges materials science, biotechnology, and architectural innovation. The document illustrates ongoing progress towards regenerative, pollution-resilient, and circular construction systems. This synergy exemplifies the interdisciplinary foundation of REMEDY — combining scientific excellence with real-world environmental impact.
We are proud to share that InnoRenew CoE and the REMEDY project were featured in the European Innovation Council (EIC) Community Story celebrating World Cities Day 2025. The article highlights our role in shaping sustainable and regenerative urban environments through Engineered Living Materials (ELMs), and introduces the innovative concept of the archibiome — living systems designed to interact with and improve built environments. The feature showcases how EIC-backed projects, including WIDMO Spectral Technologies and REMEDY, are advancing the European Green Deal’s vision of pollution-free, resilient cities through science-driven innovation.
Dr. Anna Sandak, InnoRenew CoE, UP IAM researcher, attended the International Conference on Moisture in Buildings (ICMB 25), hosted by the University of Minho (UMinho), held 23-24 October 2025, in Guimarães, Portugal.
Dr. Anna Sandak gave a keynote talk on Architecture that grows: from Petri dish to the building façade. She discussed how “architecture that grows” uses living materials and biological systems to create adaptive and sustainable building façades. These façades can change their function and appearance in response to environmental conditions, offering insulation, energy generation and improved air quality. She highlighted the projects ARCHI-SKIN and REMEDY.
The ICMB 25 covered a wide range of subjects, offering in-depth examination of how moisture affects and interacts with different aspects of the built environment.
The 3rd Annual Meeting of the EIC Engineered Living Materials (ELM) Portfolio was held 1-2 October 2025, at the University of Primorska, InnoRenew CoE in Izola. The event brought together all projects within the ELM Portfolio, along with their collaborating researchers and industry partners, as well as external experts from across Europe.
The meeting started with opening remarks from Dr. Anna Sandak, REMEDY project coordinator, and Dr. Orsolya Symmons, European Innovation Council (EIC) Programme Manager in Health and Biotechnology.
Dr. Anna Sandak said: “I am honored to welcome you all here at InnoRenew CoE and to have the opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas about our projects dealing with engineered living materials.”
The EIC ELMs Portfolio is connecting projects funded under the Engineered Living Materials Pathfinder Challenge by the EIC, which began in November 2022. Through this initiative, the EIC aims to strategically position Europe at the forefront of the emerging Engineered Living Materials field.
Over the two days, coordinators and researchers presented progress updates on 10 ELMs portfolio projects – SUMO, BioRobot-MiniHeart, PRISM-LT, Bio-HhOST, Bioaction, ISOS, NextSkins, LoopOfFun, Fungateria, and REMEDY. Supported by 31.75 million euros from the European Commission, they are working on advanced solutions for diverse applications. This session was chaired by Dr. Barbara Gerratana, project officer for the ELMs Portfolio at the EIC.
The working group sessions covered topics of environment & sustainability, technology, path to market, communication, and regulation, providing space for progress reporting and open brainstorming with participants. There was also an important opportunity for early-career researchers, PhD students and postdocs to share their work in the flash talks and poster session. Moreover, the Ethical, legal and social aspects (ELSA) School was announced which will take place in July 2026 in Glasgow. All ELM Portfolio projects also recorded testimonials that will enrich the ELM Portfolio’s communication and promotion activities, helping to showcase the portfolio’s impact and reach a broader audience.
The annual meeting focused on important challenges in the translation of ELMs, such as regulatory and commercialization aspects of emerging technologies, societal and users acceptance and evolving ELMs within an ethical framework with the ELSA school and the training on effective communication, which was led by Rebeca Williams, a public speaking, storytelling, and presentation expert. Further it highlighted the unprecedented path to market, learning from early pioneers how to handle business challenges and gain support from investors for such special products.
The meeting concluded with updates from the EC Technology Council for Advanced Materials, a training session on MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships, including testimonials from current fellows Dr. Karen Butina Ogorelec and Dr. Wojciech Pajerski, and an announcement of the 4th EIC ELMs Annual Meeting, which will be held 30th September – 1st October 2026.
The two-day event offered a rich program of scientific presentations, training, discussions, and networking opportunities, strengthening collaboration within the ELMs community.
he 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 EIC portfolio approach and EIC business acceleration services, training, and coaching. 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.
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.
