Nearly PLN 900 000 of funding for biomaterials research for dentists

They will investigate new biomaterials for use in dentistry – scientists from Bialystok University of Technology are implementing an international project within the M-ERA.NET 3 call.

A research team from the Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Bialystok University of Technology, together with partners from Germany and Romania, will carry out a project in the area of new biomaterials for dental applications – Surface coating and microstructuring for compound functionalised biomaterials in dentistry (SMILE). The research will be funded by M-ERA.NET, within international M-ERA.NET 3 Call 2021 for projects in materials science and engineering.

The project aims to develop hybrid metal-polymer components for dental applications. The work will start with improving the interface by achieving micropology (macro- and micro-structuring) by additive methods, as well as improving the infiltration of the polymer. An applied antimicrobial active that reduces biofilm formation in the oral cavity will be responsible for the additional functionalisation of the produced composite material.

The solution developed in the project can be applied in a variety of ways in dentistry. The partners in the consortium carrying out the SMILE project will focus in particular on the manufacture of innovative dental brackets using functional materials.

The Polish team is led by Prof. Krzysztof Jan Kurzydłowski, DSc, PhD, Eng from the Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Bialystok University of Technology. One of the project team members will be Izabela Zgłobicka, PhD, Eng.

Apart from Bialystok University of Technology, in the consortium there are partners from Germany: Technische Universität Dresden (leader) and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., and from Romania: Politehnica din București. In accordance with the competition regulations, each partner applied to their national institution for funding for its own project. In the case of the project of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of BUT, the funding body is the National Science Centre.

The budget of the SMILE project is EUR 1 216 000. The BUT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering received the grant of PLN 898,572. The project will be implemented in the period from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025.

The aim of M-ERA.NET is to build a strong scientific community and strengthen the European economy through the use of innovative materials and material technologies. The means to achieve this is through the coordination of research and development work carried out in the member countries. The consortium of the third edition of the M-ERA.NET programme included 50 research funding agencies in 36 countries. In Poland, it is the National Science Centre and the National Centre for Research and Development.

The M-ERA.NET 3 call, announced in March 2021, covered six research areas in materials science and engineering: modelling for materials engineering and processing; innovative surfaces, coatings and interfaces; high-performance composites; functional materials; new strategies for advanced materials technologies for medical applications; and materials for incremental manufacturing. 493 applications were filed for the call. Funding of €69.9 million was awarded to 70 projects. Polish researchers were involved in six of them.

Information on the M-ERA.NET 3 Call 2021

by mr