Wrocław University of Science and Technology will be the only university from Poland to coordinate the implementation of a European grant as part of the MSCA's doctoral training programme “Doctoral Networks 2024”. The CHIRALNANOMAT project is headed by Associate Professor Joanna Olesiak-Bańska, PhD, Dsc, Eng, an employee of the Faculty of Chemistry. The initiative consists in research related to the development of nanoparticles for catalysis and bioimaging applications.

“Aside from being great news for our university, it also means great prestige and success visible in the European arena, confirming the growing position of Wrocław University of Science and Technology in the world of science. It’s thanks to grants like these, too, that we can be optimistic about the development of our Doctoral School,” says Prof. Arkadiusz Wójs, Rector of Wrocław University of Science and Technology. “Doctoral students make up the research potential of the university and have an impact on its development, and through such projects, they will not only have more opportunities for scientific development but also gain the chance to get to know the international industrial environment.

Organised by the European Commission, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions’ “Doctoral Networks 2024” competition supports the training of highly qualified doctoral students, stimulating their creativity, as well as increasing their innovation skills and employability in the long term. The competition attracted 1,417 entries, and funding totalling over 608 million EUR was awarded to 149 projects, to be implemented in 18 countries. A total of 1,800 PhD students will be trained under the programmes. 

Polish scientific and non-academic units will be involved in the implementation of 24 grants, but only one of them will be coordinated in Poland. The project in question, entitled “Chiral Nanocluster Materials” (CHIRALNANOMAT), was originated by Prof. Joanna Olesiak-Bańska.

It will involve as many as seven research groups and six companies from eight European countries: Wrocław University of Science and Technology – coordinator, Technische Universität Wien (Austria), KU Leuven (Belgium), Istituto di Chimica dei Composti Organometallici – ICCOM (Italy), University of Trieste (Italy), Institut Lumière Matière (France), Software for Chemistry & Materials B.V. (Netherlands), and University of Geneva (Switzerland).

The amount of the grant awarded is almost 3.5 million EUR, of which approximately 550 thousand EUR will go to our university.

In addition, teams from our university’s Faculties of Management and Chemistry will be part of the consortia handling three other projects (ENTERPOL, IGNITION and REMOD_HEALING). Nationally, only the University of Warsaw will be involved in four projects under this programme.

More can be achieved together

Several years ago, Prof. Joanna Olesiak-Bańska founded the NONA group at Wrocław University of Science and Technology – a unit which analyses how nanoparticles work and how to design noble metal nanoparticles with special properties, including fluorescence. In its research, her team uses nanoparticles and advanced spectroscopic techniques to study proteins with a special focus on their aggregation and the formation of amyloids, which are associated with many diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, for example.

“We’re collaborating with several European teams to investigate the unique properties of gold and silver nanoclusters for cell imaging applications. Also, there’s a strong network of laboratories in Europe involved in researching the catalytic properties of such clusters, which in many cases surpass the efficiency of traditional catalysts,” explains Prof. Olesiak-Bańska. “So, a few years ago, the idea emerged to combine these activities as a broad collaboration on precious metal nanoclusters. That resulted in the formation of the consortium which applied for EU funding. After three attempts and refinements to the application this year, we finally got the funding,” she adds.

As part of the European grant, the researchers intend to embark on tasks such as producing chiral, atomically precise metal nanoclusters, extensively characterise their chiral properties, structure and unique optical properties – both in solution and on solid substrates, developing new computational tools to study the chiroptical and catalytic properties and interface of nanomaterials and bio-molecules, and integrating computational and experimental studies to understand their functionality.

We will train future specialists

According to the MSCA competition “Doctoral Networks 2024”, the main objective is to educate doctoral students and strengthen cooperation between European universities and technology companies.

“We plan to train 13 PhD students who will become experts in the field of chiral nanomaterials and be able to meet the future needs of the academic and industrial sectors in Europe. They will gain knowledge of chemical synthesis, spectroscopic methods, non-linear surface optics, surface imaging, biofunctionalisation, bioimaging, and computational methods for electron structure and molecular dynamics, as well as machine learning for modelling,” explains Prof. Olesiak-Bańska.

By gaining such broad skills and exposure to a cross-sector environment (through training in the industrial and business sectors), doctoral students will make up competitive talent in future labour markets in key areas of nanotechnology making an impact in areas including the synthesis of drugs and specialised chemicals and modern biotechnology enabling personalised nanomedicine.

At Wrocław University of Science and Technology, the grant will be implemented in the laboratories of the Institute of Advanced Materials of the Faculty of Chemistry, in the NONA group. 

“Admissions to the project will begin in autumn, with PhDs starting in February 2026, but I already encourage everybody interested in the subject to follow the information on our social media profiles,” adds the researcher.

Broad cooperation

 Prof. Olesiak-Banska admits that the biggest challenge will be to coordinate cooperation within such a large consortium, which, in addition to the academic units, includes six more companies where doctoral students will receive their training.

These include the Polish companies Prochimia Surfaces and NanoExpo, which specialise in the production of advanced chemical compounds and biomaterials respectively, and where doctoral students will not only learn about the technical sides of production but also gain knowledge on how to introduce the results of scientific discoveries into industry. It is worth pointing out that both companies are technology start-ups.

“So, the network brings together physics, chemistry, and biological sciences in a unique combination of advanced synthesis and characterisation of chiral noble metal nanoclusters (mainly gold and silver), as well as their applications in catalysis and biosensors,” emphasises Prof. Olesiak-Bańska.