News
TU Dublin Hosts NATO-Funded Research Workshops on Germicidal Nanocomposites
The School of Chemical & Biopharmaceutical Sciences was delighted to host a series of workshops and meetings with visiting researchers from IMT Bucharest, CEMATEP (Heraklion, Crete), PPIMC (Iași, Romania), and HBSRC (Sligo) as part of the final stages of a NATO-funded project entitled New Germicide Nanocomposites for Biological Protection and Decontamination, under the Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme.
The workshops, held at TU Dublin (16 – 17 and 23 September) and ATU Sligo (18 – 19 September), marked the conclusion of a three-year collaborative effort focused on the development, characterisation, and application of novel membrane-based nanocomposite materials with germicidal properties. These materials are designed for use in preventing healthcare-associated bacterial and viral infections, and in biological defence (CBRN) contexts.
Project roles and contributions included:
- Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU, Greece) – lead for electrospinning, membrane fabrication, and structural characterisation.
- Atlantic Technological University (ATU Sligo, Ireland) – lead for graphene oxide (GO) and TiO₂ synthesis, antimicrobial evaluation, and standardisation of testing protocols.
- Technological University Dublin (Ireland) – responsible for advanced microscopy characterisation, data analysis, and dissemination activities.
- Helix2 SME (Greece) – assessed industrial integration potential in medical textiles.
- TelLab (Ireland) – evaluated potential industrial applications in water purification systems.
During their visit, the delegation also met TU Dublin researchers based in the School of Chemical & Biopharmaceutical Sciences, and those affiliated with both the Health, Engineering and Material Science Research Hub (Synergy Building, Tallaght) and the Sustainability and Health Research Hub (Greenway Building, Grangegorman). These meetings have already sparked new collaborative research initiatives between TU Dublin and international partners.
Pictured at TU Dublin (left to right): Professor Suresh Pillai, Associate Director of the Health and Biomedical Strategic Research Centre and Head of the Nanotechnology and Bio-Engineering Research Group, Faculty of Science, Atlantic Technological University, Ireland; Ms Maria Orfanou, PhD Student and NATO Fellow, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Heraklion, Crete, Greece; Dr Petronela Pascariu, Senior Researcher, Petru Poni Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Iași, Romania; Dr Mirela Suchea, Senior Scientific Researcher, National Institute for Research and Development in Microtechnologies (IMT Bucharest), and Senior Research Manager, Centre of Materials Technology and Photonics (CEMATEP), Hellenic Mediterranean University, Crete; Prof. Declan McCormack, Head of School of Chemical & Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin.