Twinning to excel materials engineering for medical devices

2026-07-22

The aim of the ExcellMater project is to advance the research and innovation capacity of the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade (FTM) in the area of biomaterials engineering by efficient knowledge and skills twinning activities and by creation of a sustainable collaborative network with leading international institutions: Aalto University, Finland, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Italy, and AO Research Institute Davos, Switzerland. The project addresses a translational gap in development and utilization of novel biomaterials in medical devices, arising from the lack of relevant procedures and expertise at FTM regarding biological and clinical evaluation of biomaterials, regulatory issues and IPR exploitation strategies. The twinning activities will include short-term staff exchange missions, site expert visits, workshops, summers schools, specialized seminars with dedicated actions towards early stage researchers as well as trainings of FTM staff in project proposal writing and project management. The actions also involve the local partners in the areas of medical and life sciences, innovation and technology transfer organizations and industry to build a functional ecosystem around FTM for successful translation of scientific results from bench-to-bedside. This will assist in overarching the gap by increasing the S&T capacity of FTM and its staff research profile. Efficient dissemination and communication actions will be complemented with an international conference on biomaterials and medical devices as the final project event to increase the FTM national and international visibility, attract major biomedical stakeholders and raise the biomedical awareness of the society at large. The project will ultimately impact on establishment of successful translation of novel solutions to personalized medical devices contributing to foundation of a high-tech biomedical sector in Serbia.

Serbia, Finland, Italy, Switzerland

2026-02-15