The NeuroNanotech Doctoral Network, a new action bringing together 25 partners to tackle one of the major challenges of Europe’s ageing population—neurological disorders, has opened the call period for applications for PhD positions. The Network will train 11 PhD researchers in the fields of nanotechnology, device engineering, neuroscience and clinical neurology to develop novel nanostructured flexible neural interfaces with highly improved tissue integration, allowing stable stimulation treatments. The individual research projects will be highly interconnected, ensuring interdisciplinary training in advanced research and relevant complementary skills, imparted by an international and intersectoral consortium of research institutes, universities, companies, hospitals and social organisations from 9 different countries.
The NeuroNanotech doctoral candidates will be hosted by the institutions Fundación IMDEA Nanociencia (IMDEA Nano, coordinator), Spain; the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS (CNRS-GREYC), France; Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), France, Tel Aviv University (TAU), Israel; Atlas Neuroengineering BVBA (ATLAS), Belgium; Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati di Trieste (SISSA), Italy; Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Spain; Fundación para la Investigación Médica Aplicada (FIMA), Spain; Stichting Radboud Universiteit (RU), Netherlands; and University of Galway (GAL), Ireland.
The NeuroNanotech consortium brings together leading experts in nanotechnology, device engineering, neuroscience, and clinical neurology. The research projects within the network will be highly interconnected, ensuring a multidisciplinary approach that bridges academia and industry. The programme offers innovative training, emphasizing applications of research and preparing PhD candidates for careers in both academic and non-academic sectors.
Through collaboration with universities, research institutes, hospitals, companies, and social organizations from nine different countries, NeuroNanotech will equip its researchers with advanced scientific knowledge and transferable skills essential for innovation and long-term employability. This initiative aligns with the broader mission of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks, which fosters international mobility, cross-sectoral collaboration, and knowledge exchange between research disciplines.
Supported by Horizon Europe’s MSCA Doctoral Networks with a budget of ca. € 3 million, NeuroNanotech will provide eleven PhD researchers with a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary training environment. The project, using nanotechnology, focuses on the development of minimally invasive flexible neural interfaces with improved tissue integration that will allow for a long term neural activity stimulation and recordings. These advancements have the potential to transform the application of neural interfaces in the clinic, significantly improving the quality of life of many patients with neurological disorders.
Source: IMDEA Nanociencia (coordinator).