Anna Sandak is serving as the collection’s Guest Editor for the Discover Materials journal from Springer Nature. This Collection will showcase cutting-edge research at the nexus of synthetic biology, nanotechnology, biomaterials, and artificial intelligence, spotlighting breakthroughs that advance the design, control, and application of engineered living materials.
Learn more about the collection and how to contribute:
https://link.springer.com/collections/dadicecbca
The EIC Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) portfolio is proud to have contributed to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence supporting the upcoming Advanced Materials Act, which aims to reinforce Europe’s open strategic autonomy, reduce dependencies on critical resources, and boost EU competitiveness.
Projects including REMEDY, Bio-HhOST, BIOACTION, Fungateria, LoopOfFun and SUMO actively supported this contribution, highlighting the need for targeted actions to strengthen Europe’s R&I ecosystem, enable industrial scale-up, attract investment and ensure regulatory preparedness.
The EIC ELM portfolio strongly supports the objectives of the Advanced Materials Act and welcomes the Commission’s ambition to accelerate the development, production and uptake of advanced materials across the EU.
The work on Engineered Living Materials and the REMEDY project was introduced by Anna Sandak to students from Spain, Slovenia, and Italy during three seminars:
We were pleased to disseminate our research and engage with students from diverse disciplinary and educational backgrounds.
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.
Read the REMEDY newsletter and stay tuned with news about the project by visiting REMEDY website and LinkedIn!
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.
You can watch the short videos here.
Cover image: #Science4EU campaign © European Union 2025
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.
Download the ELM Research Line brochure here – https://zenodo.org/records/17106693
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.