Innovation hub for surface and colloid biology research
Novel material’s design is a geopolitical challenge to provide safe, sustainable and cost-efficient industrial products; once in the environment, they face their (intended or not) exposure to biotic factors as microbial cells, which can cause high economic burdens.
Research in the cell-surface interaction field is being addressed from either a biological or a materials science perspective, usually with limited outputs due to the complexity of this topic. The application of both, state of the art spectroscopy and microscopy analytic technologies, microbiology and systems biology tools to study microbial-surface interactions can lead to a better understanding the processes occurring at their interface, which will contribute to provide ad-hoc solutions for materials design with enhanced properties, such as more durable materials (reducing losses), improved antimicrobial surfaces (health sector) or better microbial supports to increase the productivity of bioprocesses (pharma, food, agriculture). 

The JSI’s excellent track in basic and applied multidisciplinary research areas, particularly in the combination of physical, chemical and biological processes influencing the environment and human affairs. SurfBio research package (spectrometry, imaging, smart biocarriers, nanoparticles characterization, microbiology, systems biology and bioinformatics), will reinforce JSI to successfully address the interdisciplinary of the topic.

Thus, JSI will  lead an emerging discipline, coordinating expert institutions in synergistic fields, finally launching an Innovation Hub to provide research services and assessment to material designers and biotechnology researchers, academy, industry or policy makers. Twinning call matches the needs of the Slovenian research to boost their potential and visibility National and Internationally. Expertise of partners in promotion, funding search and project management and their wide network will support the JSI upgrade balanced and responsively.