On 11 November 2025, Wood K Plus participated in Carinthia Innovates, an international conference held at Lakeside Park in Klagenfurt, Austria.  This edition focused on Green Transition & Semiconductor Technologies and gathered more than 300 international participants, creating a good opportunity for collaboration across sectors and borders. 

The event attracted a broad range of stakeholders, reflecting its multidisciplinary and future-oriented approach. Participants included industry representatives (coating manufacturers, timber industry, plastics industry), investors, regional authorities (2nd Deputy Governor and State Councillor responsible for finance, investments, development, and research), research and scientific communities (such as the University of Klagenfurt and the University of Applied Sciences Carinthia), as well as innovation clusters, including Green Tech Valley Cluster and the Timber Innovation Network Alpe Adria.

The SSbD4CheM project was represented by Wood K Plus (Mr. Christoph Jocham and Mr. Arun Mahendran) who took part in the “Research Deep Dive Tour”, where participants rotated through thematic rooms to discover ongoing research projects and their outcomes. Wood K Plus showcased, among others, SSbD4CheM’s contributions to sustainable solutions within the chemical sector. The plasma-coated textiles were presented, demonstrating their water-repellent properties with a live experiment. 

It was an excellent opportunity to share the project and its results with a strong regional audience of innovators, industries, and public authorities.

Among the valuable networking opportunities, the Wood K Plus team held a promising B2B discussion with a Hungarian coating company, opening doors for potential collaboration.

From 10-12 November 2025, Barry Hardy (Edelweiss Connect) and Wouter Gebbink (VITO) attended the 2nd Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) Conference – SSbD25 in Zurich, Switzerland. The event, organised by IRISS project – the International SSbD Community – and Empa, brought together researchers, industry representatives, and policymakers to exchange knowledge and advance the implementation of SSbD principles across sectors.

During the conference, Wouter Gebbink presented a poster explaining the work performed in the project exploring renewable wood plastic composites (WPCs), as sustainable alternatives to conventional polypropylene (PP) with talc used in car interior trims, to reduce Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs) emissions
compared to PP interior trims and assure no risk to human health. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17607096.

Barry Hardy gave an oral presentation which explored how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science enhance SSbD workflows. It showcased the case studies of the project, including cosmetics, PFAS-free coatings, biopolymers, bio-sourced chemicals, and graphene. The work demonstrated how AI-assisted tools support early-stage innovation by integrating existing data, models, and knowledge into risk identification, hazard profiling, and decision-making. By leveraging evidence-weighting and uncertainty scoring, the approach enables more ethical, accurate, and comprehensive assessments. The presentation highlighted methodologies, tools, and recommendations for addressing data gaps and strengthening SSbD practices. The presentation is available here.

It was a great opportunity to meet the broader SSbD community, share insights, and discuss the path forward towards sustainable innovation.

A big thank you to the organisers for an great event and for giving us the chance of attending – we’re already looking forward to next year’s edition!

The conference programm is available here.

The EuMINe Training School 2025 offered a dynamic event in Athens and brought together 44 participants from across academia, research, industry, and public institutions to strengthen expertise in advanced digital tools for materials development and drug discovery.

During the 2-days school (19 and 20 June 2025) the event focused on equipping scientists with practical skills to integrate design of experiments, machine learning, and multiscale simulations using state-of-the-art software tools and platforms. Participants were trained to use different software tools (i.e., Isalos Analytics Platform, Asclepios KNIME nodes), ans well as platforms (i.e., Enalos Cloud Platform, and Eos Cloud Platform) to accelerate innovation in advanced materials and chemical safety. The programme emphasized hands-on learning and real-world applications, empowering researchers to harness digital technologies for sustainable and safe-by-design development.

The training attracted representatives from leading institutions and organizations including NovaMechanics, Entelos, National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Hellenic Navy, National Technical University of Athens, Democritus University of Thrace, Hellenic Army Academy, National Hellenic Research Foundation, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, CNR-ISMN, Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University, and University of Bologna. This diverse representation fostered cross-sector dialogue and strengthened collaboration between institutions.

The event was organised by NovaMechanics, represented by Panagiotis Kolokathis, Dimitra Danai Varsou, and Konstantinos Papavasileiou, who played an active role both in coordination and scientific delivery.

An oral presentation titled “EosCloud: A Platform for Sustainable and Safe Chemical Innovation and Materials Informatics Powered by Enalos Cloud Platform Tools” highlighted how cloud-based infrastructures can support safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) strategies. The presentation also showcased the Sbd4Skin and HydroNanoConstruct web tools, demonstrating their potential to streamline chemical innovation while embedding safety and sustainability considerations from early development stages.

The project’s active participation ensured strong visibility of its digital tools and reinforced its mission to promote safe and sustainable chemical and materials innovation.

As a result of the training, scientists gained practical expertise to drive materials innovation using cutting-edge digital platforms, advanced algorithms, and data-driven methodologies. The event further strengthened the growing community working at the intersection of materials informatics, machine learning, and safe-by-design approaches.

Program and more information available here.

The 4th edition of the International Conference on Microplastic Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea (µMED 2025) took place in Ischia, Italy, from 19–22 October 2025.

The conference brought together experts from diverse disciplines, including the scientific and industrial sectors, policy makers and environmental organizations, to explore all aspects of micro- and nanoplastic pollution, offering a valuable opportunity to share the latest developments, highlight recent advancements, and identify innovative materials, technologies and strategies to detect and mitigate this pressing environmental challenge.

On October 20^th, approx. 130 participants from reasearch and industry stakeholders joint Milica Velimirovic‘s (VITO) oral presentation. Under the title “Progress in analytical strategies for micro- and nanoplastics detection and characterisation“, Milica shared the work in SSbD4CheM’s textile study from microfibers release. 

µMED 2025 once again proved to be a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration, driving forward the scientific understanding and mitigation of microplastic pollution in marine environments.

Final Programme available here.

Book of abstracts available here.

The 1st SENTIATECH Congress took place in Valencia (Spain) on 21–22 October 2025. The two-day event focused on “Detection, Measurement and Control of Emerging Risks”, highlighting specially emerging chemicals (such as PFAS and micro/nanoplastics), sensor technologies, and Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD).

The congress aimed to foster cross-sector collaboration, facilitate knowledge exchange, and accelerate the implementation of innovative solutions for managing risks related to the environment, human health, and materials/manufacturing.

Approximately 200 participants attended, mainly from the research and scientific community, along with industry representatives, regulatory partners, and local authorities who joined during the closing session.

SSbD4CheM participated in this particularly relevant event, as it closely aligned with the project’s objectives, addressing innovative techniques for detecting and assessing contaminants. Fruela Pérez and Pau Camilleri, from ITENE, delivered an oral presentation introducing the project. Their talk focused on how Steps 4–5 of the SSbD framework are integrated into the project’s activities. Their presentation entitled “Embedding Sustainability: How LCA Shapes the SSbD4CheM Approach” is available under DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17426621.

Outcomes of participation included:

• Increased visibility and recognition of the project
• Strengthened networking and collaboration opportunities
• Knowledge exchange and constructive feedback from peers
• Contribution to the project’s dissemination and impact goals

Some impressions of the congress:

In October 2025 (concretelly on Oct. 15th), Ivana Burzic, from Wood K plus, presented SSbD4CheM’s automotive case study at a dedicated meeting on the PARC project (European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals).

In her presentation, Ivana highlighted the safety (emissions) and sustainability (recycled materials, cellulosic fillers) goals of this case study on renewable based composites (WPC) with optimized TVOC emissions and odor for automotive car interior trims, as well as how the project is implementing all 5 steps of the SSbD framework. The presentation also covered different tests performed like weathering and TVOC emissions, before and after weathering tests, to ensure a safer production and application of the composites developed within the project, covering different cellulosic materials. The presentation also included LCA results.

The online meeting gathered PARC partners and European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) representatives to exchange experiences and contribute to building the EU SSbD toolbox. This collaborative effort supports a harmonised European approach to safer and more sustainable chemical assessments, enhancing environmental and health protection.

Demonstrating cross-project commitment to SSbD principles, Ivana also presented BIO-SUSHY’s food tray packaging as a case study, highlighting the PFAS-free, bio-based coatings that embody safety and sustainability principles from the very beginning of development.

This engagement underscores SSbD4CheM’s active participation in the European SSbD community and reinforces its position as a reference point for sustainable materials innovation.

The presentation is publicly available under DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17403579 (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license).

The BioNanoNet community gathered in Linz, Austria on 7 October 2025 to discuss how advanced technologies and sustainable industrial practices are being translated into the life sciences sector.  

The BioNanoNet Annual Forum 2025 took place at the LIT Open Innovation Center in the vibrant city of Linz, where four of our members graciously co-hosted and welcomed us to their facilities. Attendees were treated to site tours at Johannes-Kepler-University (JKU) IPC Institute, Competence Center CHASE, RECENDT and Wood K plus. The partners shared fascinating insights into their R&D work, including different methods for non-destructive testing, the production of sustainable polymers, a showcase of polymer waste recycling, and possible applications of bacterial cellulose. 

The forum started with a welcome by Alberta Bonanni, vice-rector of JKU, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation and was followed by keynotes from Dr. Michael Egermeier, Wood K plus (“Bacterial Cellulose Emerging as Novel Material for Advanced Applications”), Dr. Markus Brandstetter, RECENDT (“Bio-Nano-Med & Chemical Analytics at RECENDT”), and Patrick Pammer, CHASE (“Upgrading Plastic Wastes to Industrial Feedstocks”).  

After the 4 site visits, the group reconvened in the LIT Open Innovation Center for a Life Science Session spanning a wide range of topics starting with a talk by Werner Haselmayr, JKU, on the “Internet of Bio-Nano Things: Extending Connectivity to Unconventional Domains”. Max Sonnleitner, CEO of Genspeed Biotech, shared his insights from years of experience  on how to bring an innovative idea  to a final product in diagnostics. This was complemented by a perspective from BNN’s regulatory specialist Daniel García emphasizing the need for innovation support including regulations.  

The second session was dedicated to Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) with updates from current and past projects as well as newly established methodologies.  Milica Velimirovic of VITO presented the first case study with “Applying the SSbD4CheM Toolbox in Case Studies for Sustainable Material Design”. Danail Hristozov of GreenDecision presented new methodologies from the project SUNRISE and the NSC Community with his talk “SSbD in the NSC field – Tiered SSbD approach and e-infrastructure”. Next, Martin Himly of PLUS presented PINK and PLANETS projects, showing fascinating work on how to implement SSbD in concrete industrial chemicals and materials value chains. Finally, Andreas Barth of Wood K plus shared the lessons learned and opportunities of Social LCA within the SSbD Framework and put a spotlight on this oft-underrepresented dimension of SSbD.   

The highlight of the event was the final Networking Pitch Session, moderated by BNN’s Clemens Wolf. Fifteen members had a single slide and 30 seconds to pitch their expertise and seek collaboration opportunities. It was a lively session showcasing the great diversity and potential within the BNN network, and it sparked lots of ideas and initiated new connections!  

The evening ended with a networking buffet and drinks. As always, we greatly enjoyed the time with all participants and especially getting to see the facilities of JKU, CHASE, RECENDT and specially Wood K plus

Agenda of the event. 

Some impressions of the day:

The third ECOSYSTEX Conference took place from 29 September to 1 October in Gothenburg, Sweden, bringing together experts, innovators, and industry leaders to discuss the latest technologies and business models for textile circularity.

Over two days, the 160 participants engaged in plenary and interactive breakout sessions, fostering lively discussions, networking, and collaboration opportunities across the textile sustainability community.

The event was supported by six ECOSYSTEX member projects — PESCO-UP, SOLSTICE, tExtended, BioFibreLoop, WhiteCycle, and Hemp4Circularity — which showcased their project results and hosted dedicated interactive sessions.

Onur Celen and Mine Türkay Kankıran (KORTEKS) attended the event on behalf of SSbD4CheM, presenting the project to fellow participants and exploring opportunities for collaboration. Their participation helped strengthen connections within the ECOSYSTEX network and provided valuable insights for future project developments.