Within the project led by the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LBTU), a project application was developed and submitted to the research project competition “Sustainable and innovative technologies for better use of by-products”
It all started a few years ago when the research team had another idea. Latvian and foreign partners applied for the Baltic research project “Sustainable and innovative applications for better use of marine and dairy by-products”. By-products are materials that are not used in food production, such as skins, bones, fish heads, etc. However, these products can also be used to produce high-quality raw materials if they are properly processed. This was the main focus of our team. This project brought together four research institutions, each with its own role to play.
One of the partners was the Norwegian institute SINTEF. One of its departments is located in Trondheim, on the Atlantic coast. The project partners carry out daily research on the extraction of chemical compounds from a wide variety of seafood. The Norwegian partners therefore had to work on extracting valuable substances from seafood.
Scientists at the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Technology (FAFT) of the Activities implemented in the project (LBTU) are working on recycling by-products from the dairy industry, expanding their use.
The Department of Functional Materials and Electronics (FTMC) at Vilnius University is dedicated to the application of environmentally friendly and innovative processing methods. FTMC uses pulsed electric field (PEF) technology. PEF is an innovative and promising processing technique that is already helping to obtain valuable compounds with anti-inflammatory properties and is used in food processing as an alternative to traditional heat treatment methods. In addition, PEF effectively reduces microbiological contamination in food products. This technology has proven to be a fast and efficient method, and it should be noted that it also consumes less energy. Therefore, the project team put forward the idea of adapting PEF to extract valuable compounds from fish, algae and dairy by-products.
A fourth partner, the Estonian company TFTAK, a private research laboratory, dedicated to applying innovative technologies to the development of new products, has also joined the project.
The established research team did not win the Baltic Research Programme competition – we were one step away from funding. That seemed to be the end of all good ideas. But the Latvian Science Council decided to keep the four-nation consortium together and gave it extra funds to prepare a new project application.
Activities implemented in the project
The current project needed to develop a new idea for the project application. The easiest way is to develop and submit a pre-prepared project, but our team decided to broaden both its knowledge and partners. By organising online meetings in a web environment, new partners were attracted, which encouraged us to focus on the medical sector.
The research team has attracted new partners from Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Israel, Spain and Lithuania. The project partners identified the needs and the global situation in the food and medical sector, taking into account green processing technologies (pulsed electric field), while looking for possible applications of food waste to create high added-value products, with the aim of using them in hydrogel production. The expected impact on the Baltic States will be in different areas: first, new approaches for the use of by-products will be developed – hydrogel production. If the project is successful, the new use of by-products (animal and plant origin) will reduce production costs and negative environmental impacts. Chronic wounds in patients with more severe forms of diabetes or other diseases are a major problem at global level. Such wounds are difficult to heal and the micro-organisms that cause them are often resistant to antibiotics. A team of researchers from Lithuania, Norway, Latvia, Estonia, Spain and Israel is therefore planning to develop an effective and environmentally friendly medical device – a therapeutic patch in the form of a gel that can be injected directly into the wound.
To achieve the objective, the activities were grouped into several work packages with corresponding tasks.
1. Developing the project idea. In this task, the project partners researched the latest knowledge on the current state of the art and potential applications of by-product recycling worldwide. As a result of their research, the scientists involved in the project came to the conclusion that milk whey proteins, polyphenols, collagen and other valuable compounds isolated could have medical applications.
2. Statement of the project aim and objectives. For this task, the project partners held an online meeting in an internet environment. During these meetings, the partners discussed the various challenges, taking into account each partner’s specialisation, research infrastructure and availability of human resources. By gathering information from different sources, the main aim and objectives of the project proposal were developed through discussions, 5 work packages were defined and work package leaders were nominated. During the discussions between the partners, the project leader was identified – LT – FTMC
3. Identification and description of project results. For this task, during the online meetings, the project partners described the expected project results and the work schedule, allocating responsibilities among the partners according to the planned tasks.
Given that the ERA4Health project application process is carried out in two phases, some tasks (4. Description of project risk assessment and prevention measures. 5. Development of an information and publicity plan for the project) will be completed in case the project is positively evaluated in the first round.
6. Development of the project timetable. A work schedule has been developed for the successful implementation of the project and the achievement of the objective. Taking into account the number of analyses, the time required, the transport of samples and other activities that could affect the implementation timeframe, the project implementation schedule was approved.
7. Project budget planning and development. Knowing the objectives of the project, the number of samples, publicity costs and other possible expenses, a project budget was developed
8 Preparation and submission of the project application. Working within the Teams programme, over several months the partners were actively involved in completing the project application form, which resulted in the drafting and submission of a project application. All necessary documentation was collected by the responsible persons, all documents were checked and signed. The project application was developed and submitted to the Era4health call.
Lessons learned and benefits of the project
The project has provided experience and practice in working in a team with people from different disciplines, understanding and looking into other issues and problems that the researcher does not face on a daily basis.
The main challenge in preparing the project application was the lack of time, as the preparation of the application is a time-consuming process, which is used both for idea generation, preparation of formal documents, etc.
The expected added value of the trans-national cooperation in the AdvGreeNanoGel project is significant given the complex and interdisciplinary nature of nanotechnology applications in the biomedical field. By bringing together researchers, clinicians and experts from different countries, the project gains access to diverse types of knowledge, different research methodologies and complementary skills. This collaborative effort is likely to contribute to the development of innovative antibiotic-free approaches to NEI hydrogels, providing a broader understanding of their application and potential benefits in the treatment of chronic wounds.
In addition, transnational collaboration promotes the integration of cultural and contextual perspectives by contributing to a contract on standardisation of NEI therapeutic hydrogel use in chronic wounds, which includes protocols and pre-clinical validation
Project sustainability and further cooperation
In the long term, the potential of the international network in the context of the AdvGreeNanoGel project promises lasting success. Fostering mutual cooperation between research institutions, medical organisations and industry partners can ensure continuous knowledge exchange, shared resources and continuous improvement in the development of NEI hydrogels and its use in other therapeutic applications. This network of peer-to-peer collaboration can not only enhance the project results, but also open new opportunities for future collaborative initiatives, creating a global community of experts dedicated to the development of medical applications of nanotechnologies. Ultimately, the transnational collaboration of the AdvGreeNanoGel project is poised to provide lasting value both in terms of scientific contribution and in terms of building lasting international partnerships.
The Baltic Research Programme is implemented with the support of EEA grants within the framework of programme “Research and Education”, which is implemented by the Ministry of Education and Science and the Latvian Council of Science. The total funding of the programme is 8,676,084 euros, of which the state budget co-financing is 15% or 1,301,413 euros and the EEA co-financing is 85% or 7,374,671 euros. In the Baltic research programme, 9 research projects and 5 small cooperation projects are implemented in Latvia.
The Baltic Research Programme’s project “The project application with the provisional title “Sustainable and innovative technologies for better utilisation of by-products” development” is implemented by Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (Latvia), SINTEF Ocean (Norway), TFTAK (Estonia), Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (Lithuania). More information: https://eeagrants.lv/en/2023/08/23/project-development-for-active-control-of-thermochemical-conversion-of-regional-biomass-resources-with-improved-quality-of-produced-energy-and-increase-of-european-climate-neutrality-innovbydev/
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