News

On 7 May 2026, the SUPREME project contributed to the EU Projects Workshop on Antimicrobial Nanocoatings: Aligning Innovation, Regulatory Compliance and Market Uptake, organised as part of the SICT 2026 Conference. The workshop took place in Prague, while also offering the possibility for participants to join online, enabling a broader exchange across the European research community.

Bringing together several Horizon Europe projects — including SUPREME, RELIANCE, NOVA, MIRIA and NANOBLOC — the event created a unique space for collaboration around shared challenges in antimicrobial nanocoatings. Discussions spanned the full innovation chain, from material design to validation, regulatory alignment, and pathways to market uptake.

SUPREME was very well represented throughout the programme. Early in the workshop, Dr. Büşra Erol (KU Leuven) presented recent findings on the antibacterial performance of nanoparticle-based coatings on textiles. The presentation highlighted how SUPREME is advancing solutions that combine material innovation with application-oriented performance. As the discussions progressed towards industrialisation, Dr. Jan Van Impe, supported by Monika Polanska (KU Leuven), chaired the session on moving antimicrobial coatings from laboratory development to industrial scale. This session brought forward critical questions on standardisation, validation methods and how to generate reliable efficacy data for real-world conditions.

*Left: Dr. Büşra Erol presenting; Right: SUPREME team (Dr. Büşra Erol, Dr. Jan Van Impe and Dr. Monika Polanska (KU Leuven)).

Across all sessions, a clear message emerged: while significant progress has been made in antimicrobial materials, translating innovation into real-world impact requires stronger alignment between research, regulation, and industry needs. This is exactly where SUPREME positions itself. By integrating material development with safety, sustainability and validation from the outset, the project aims to bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and practical deployment.

The workshop concluded with an interactive roundtable session focused on research, regulation and sustainability, where participants discussed predictive and digital design, safety and sustainability by design, and industrial deployment and standardisation. The session aimed to identify key bottlenecks, priority actions and regulatory recommendations, contributing directly to the development of a Position Paper on Safe and Sustainable Antimicrobial Nanocoatings, a joint outcome targeting EU policymakers.

SUPREME will continue to build on these exchanges, working closely with partner projects and stakeholders to advance antimicrobial surface technologies that are not only innovative, but also scalable, safe, and ready for real-world application.

Stay tuned for more updates on our progress!