STIMULUS
Stimuli Responsive Materials for the Rapid Detection and Treatment of healthcare Associated Infections
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie SKŁODOWSKA-CURIE
grant agreement No 955664
What is STIMULUS
STIMULUS is a European Training Network working on reducing healthcare-associated infections. We train early-stage researchers (Ph.D. students) for a career in biomaterials by researching smart wound dressings that can detect and treat bacterial infections without opening the wound.
To accomplish this, STIMULUS combines the expertise of organic, macromolecular, physical and materials chemists, materials scientists, electronic engineers, biotechnologists, medical doctors (clinicians), (micro)biologists, government policy experts, and representatives from both SMEs and large enterprises. Our consortium bridges from academia and medical research institutes to policymakers and industry.
Our researchers get individualized and joint training in all these disciplines and relevant sectors along the value chain, giving them a unique and genuinely interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral training experience.
An array of vesicle patches in a gel matrix ©smartwound.co.uk
The phospholipid vesicles respond to membrane damaging toxins released by bacteria in wounds as the microbes reach a critical density ©smartwound.co.uk
The wound dressing provides early and rapid indication of the onset of infection - by a simple colour change ©smartwound.co.uk
An array of vesicle patches in a gel matrix ©smartwound.co.uk
Noticeboard
Events
A complete overview of all conferences and workshops can be found under the section Training/Events.
An additional separate page is devoted to our ESR-led First International STIMULUS Conference.
Recent activities
STIMULUS Summer School 2024
11-18 August, Hirschegg (Austria)
The third (and the last in the framework of the STIMULUS project) Summer School once more combined in its distinctive way intensive scientific discussions and workshops with moments of conviviality and joint hikings while the latest outcomings were outlined and the newest conclusions summarized.
University of Siegen, 7-8 May 2024
Workshop days
Workshop 9 was dedicated to ethics in Science with a focus on nanotoxicology and nanomaterials.
1.International STIMULUS Conference
Darmstadt (Germany), 28-29 Sept. 2023
Our first ESR-led conference has ended. Congratulations to all participants for this great experience!
Visit our related page to get an impression of the sessions and some more relaxed moments, listen to short excerpts from the poster presentations, read about the speakers and their contributions.
Media News
Trend-setting healthcare technologies. Megatrend Nanomedicine
Tiny particles with enormous effect
In the September issue of its journal MedUnique-people, the Association for thePromotion of Science and Research (vfwf) of the Medical University of Vienna has devoted an article in their series Megatrends in Medicine to the promising advancements offered by nanotechnology.
A special mention was credited to the research efforts of the group around Prof. Erik Reimhult and the STIMULUS project.
Full article and interview with Professor Reimhult here (only German).
2022: new videos introducing our ESRs are online.
Emilie, excited of being part of a project that has the potential to help save lives in the future.
Atif, who gave up his manager job to devote himself to scientific research.
Nazneen, staying true to her dreams and projects.
View all videos here