National Technical University of Athens
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The Physics Department at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) is renowned for its cutting-edge research and innovation. One of its prominent groups, the Laser Materials Printing and Processing (LMP), is led by Prof. Ioanna Zergioti. The group’s research focuses on laser materials processing for optoelectronics and biological applications, contributing significantly to advancements in these fields.

Role

NTUA will define the specifications for the three sensor compartments in the UltraSense project, ensuring optimal architecture, material selection, and system integration. They will also manage strategic decisions, operational risks, and ethical compliance.

Key staff

Ioanna Zergioti

Professor, CEO and Co-founder of PHOSPRINT

Dr. Zergioti Ioanna Zergioti has been a Professor at the NTUA, School of Applied Mathematics and Physical Sciences since 2003. She is a world-leading expert in laser printing with more than 30 years of experience and is among the first scientists worldwide to demonstrate the use of laser printing for the solid phase transfer of DNA. Since 2019 she has been an acting CEO at the spin-off PHOSPRINT, aiming to advance the regenerative applications of bioprinting. Her expertise includes the fields of laser-matter interaction, laser printing, laser processing of nanomaterials and laser bioprinting. She is a co-author of over 200 publications and an inventor of 7 patents.

On behalf of National Technology University of Athens (NTUA), Dr. Zergioti acts as the UltraSense Project Coordinator (PC) responsible for the overall coordination and technical monitoring of activities.

Philimon Zacharatos

Senior Researcher

Dr. Filimon Zacharatos is currently a senior researcher in the physics department of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), working within the framework of EC and national funded projects. His current research interests are mostly focused on the laser processing of 2D materials, as well as thin metal films and nanostructures for applications in optoelectronics and flexible electronics.

Marina Makrygianni

Senior Researcher

Marina Makrygianni is a post-doctoral researcher at the Physics Department of the National Technical University of Athens within the framework of the Operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The focus of her research is on the laser printing of organic electronics (i.e.: Organic Thin Film Transistors) and on the characterization of the printed devices.

Kostas Andritsos

Junior Researcher

Kostas Andritsos is a PhD candidate in the physics department of NTUA. He has been working as a junior researcher within the framework of EC and national-funded projects. His research focuses on the printing of materials in the liquid phase for microelectronics applications and functional devices in the flexible state.

POLAR ELECTRO OY
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Polar is a company specializing in heart rate monitoring, activity tracking, and fitness technology. They offer a range of products including wearable fitness devices, heart rate monitors, and training apps. Polar is known for its innovative solutions that help users improve their fitness and performance through accurate data and personalized guidance. The company emphasizes scientific research and technological advancements to provide reliable and effective tools for athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

Role

  • Defining Use Case Requirements: Establishing the requirements for the two UltraSense use cases and their respective roadmaps.
  • Wireless Data Transfer: Establishing the wireless transfer of data from all sensors to a paired mobile phone.
  • Software Development: Developing software for processing and analyzing the data collected from the sensors.
  • Sensor Integration: Ensuring that the sensors (Ultra-sound, GFET biosensor, and BIA) work as designed after full integration.

Key staff

Juhani Kemppainen

Sensor Technologies Manager

With over 25 years of experience in the wearable technology industry and more than a decade in publicly funded international research and development projects, Juhani Kemppainen has a proven track record of excellence. He possesses strong expertise in management, project management, sensors, wearable sport technologies, e-textiles, sport sciences, application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) including algorithms and data processing, and wireless technologies.

Pauli Tikkanen

Senior Researcher

Pauli Tikkanen has extensive experience in R&D and technology development within the sensor technology, telecommunications, health, and medical technology industries. He has also conducted significant biomedical research and teaching at universities and university hospitals. His technical competencies include sensing technologies, human physiological measurements, biometrics, signal processing, algorithm development and optimization for low-power ASIC environments, and steering research and technology development projects. Pauli holds an M.Sc. in Applied Physics (majoring in medical physics) and a Ph.D. in Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering.

VTT TECHNICAL RESEARCH CENTRE OY
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VTT is one of Europe’s leading research institutions. They are owned by the Finnish state. They advance the utilisation and commercialisation of research and technology in commerce and society. Through scientific and technological means, they turn large global challenges into sustainable growth for businesses and society. They bring together people, business, science and technology to solve the biggest challenges of our time. This is how they create sustainable growth, jobs and wellbeing and bring exponential hope.

Role

  • Life Cycle Analysis: Conducting comprehensive life cycle analyses to ensure the sustainability and efficiency of the developed technologies.
  • Reusable Electronics Platform: Developing a reusable electronics platform that can be integrated with various sensor technologies.
  • Disposable Components: Creating disposable G-FET biosensors, microfluidics, and skin-contact layers.
  • Integration and Testing: Integrating the reusable electronics platform with the disposable layers into a wearable textile strap and performing mechanical testing, including bending, stretching, and machine washing, to ensure durability and functionality.

Key staff

Jussi Hiltunen

Research Professor

​Dr. Jussi Hiltunen has started as a research professor of printed intelligence at VTT. He is responsible for promoting research in printed electronics and optics towards applied utilization. His goal is to increase the share of printing methods in the overall manufacturing chain.

Geza Toth

Senior Scientist and Project Manager

Geza Toth has a strong background in microelectronics, sensor technologies, IoT, and health technologies, with over 50 internationally cited research papers and a doctorate in engineering. He has extensive experience in European project proposals, having worked as a grant writer at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, and currently focuses on Flexible Electronics and Structural Electronics for various industries.

AMIRES
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AMIRES S.R.O. is a consulting company for research, development and innovation projects. Their main strength is the creation of new international sustainable partnerships within innovation focused value chains. Their developed projects remain the main enablers for our industrial clients and their growth and provide the important opportunities for R&D community.

Role

Support NTUA in the Coordination of Science and Technology tasks

Lead Dissemination, Communication and Exploitation activities:

  1. Increase awareness of the potential of UltraSense technology among all relevant stakeholder groups.
  2. IPR management and exploitation strategies.

Key staff

Panagiotis Chatzis

Project Manager

Project Manager of UltraSense. At AMI, Panagiotis is responsible for projects in the fields of Health and Biotechnology.

Within the UltraSense consortium, Panagiotis is responsible for overseeing dissemination, exploitation, and communication activities. He ensures that the consortium’s groundbreaking work reaches the right audiences effectively. Additionally, as the project manager, Panagiotis supports the coordinator in efficiently achieving the consortium’s goals.

Martina Nešverová

Programme Manager

Programme Manager of the Health and Biotechnology Team at Amires with extensive experience in grant preparation and management.
In UltraSense, Martina brings her expertise to drive sustainable change in the field of R&D technologies.

Kristin Aldag

Senior Project Manager
Senior Project Manager in Health and Biotechnology Team at Amires with extensive experience in grant preparation and management. Within AMIRES, Kristin is responsible for several H2020 and Horizon Europe projects and proposals in the health and biotechnology domain.
GRAPHENEA SEMICONDUCTOR SL
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Graphenea, a technology company founded in 2010, is a world leading graphene producer. The 40 employees in Graphenea work on contributing to the successful development of Graphene applications of our customers, in a wide range of sectors and in more than 60 countries in the world. Through research and innovation, we support our customers with our portfolio consisting of: CVD Graphene films, Graphene Field-Effect-Transistors chips (GFETs), Graphene Foundry Services (GFAB) and Graphene Oxides. Graphenea’s facilities are located in Spain (San Sebastián) and USA (Boston).

Role

Design and Development:

  • Ultra-sound compartment design
  • Bioimpedance compartment design
  • GFET biosensor compartment design

Testing and Integration:

  • Development and testing of an ultra-sound compartment
  • Development and testing of flexible bioimpedance electrodes for body composition analysis
  • Development and testing of graphene field effect transistors and their biofunctionalization protocol

Key staff

Amaia Zurutuza

Scientific Director

She obtained her PhD from the University of Strathclyde, UK and worked as a postdoctoral research scientist in two European projects. After that she worked in Ferring Pharmaceuticals (Scotland) as a senior polymer scientist for six years in the research and development of new controlled drug delivery systems. Her contribution in controlled therapeutics led to the granting of three patents in novel biodegradable and biostable polymers for controlling drug delivery. In 2010, she became the Scientific Director of Graphenea. At Graphenea, she leads the research and development activities on graphene-based materials. Since joining Graphenea, she has so far filed for sixteen patents and published more than 97 publications in peer reviewed journals, including Nature and Science. Principal Investigator in 29 EU FP7/H2020/HE funded research projects, 23 collaborative projects including the Graphene Flagship, the 2D-Experimental Pilot Line and the follow-up project the 2D-Polit Line.  In the Graphene Flagship (10 year project), she was a member of the executive board and world package leader in the wafer scale integration.

Amaia Rebollo

Scientific Researcher

She obtained her PhD in biosensors from the University of Navarra, developing expertise in biosensors, fabrication, and characterization techniques. She spent five years at CIC nanoGUNE working on electrospinning, nanofluidics, and nanofabrication for biomedical applications, with postdoctoral research focused on polymer-based biomaterials. Since joining Graphenea in 2014 as Production Manager, she has overseen production planning and implemented lean manufacturing strategies. In the past three years, she transitioned to the R&D team and, more recently, to the role of Project Analyst, applying her technical expertise in graphene to high-impact projects.

Alba Centeno

Project Manager

She joined Graphenea in 2010 as Research Scientist and she was leading the R&D Team for 4 years. She is Chemist and holds a PhD in the field of Carbon-based materials from Instituto Nacional del Carbon (INCAR-CSIC). She is author and co-author of more than 60 publications  and several patents. She has a wide international network of collaborators and did several short stays in Centers such as the Microsystems Technology Laboratories of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Institute Heterogeneous Materials Systems of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie and ST Microelectronics in order to extend her expertise in Graphene integration and promote graphene into industrial applications.

XTPL SPOLKA AKCYJNA
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XTPL is shaping the future with microscale. They specialize in cutting-edge printing technology, driving advancements in manufacturing accuracy.

Role

  • Synthesis of Graphene: Creating graphene on donor substrates specifically designed for Laser-Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT).
  • Nanomaterials Synthesis: Producing nanomaterials like silver and gold and formulating them within a LIFT-compatible matrix system.
  • Bioreagents and Biomarkers: Selecting appropriate bioreagents and assay formats, as well as identifying relevant biomarkers.
  • Graphene Growth and Standardization: Upscaling and standardizing the growth of graphene.
  • Nanoparticles and Ink Design: Optimizing and scaling up the synthesis of nanoparticles and designing inks for the LIFT deposition technique.

Key staff

Paulina Szczepaniak

R&D Project Manager

R&D Manager and Project Leader in engineering teams, driving product and technology innovations from conception through pilot testing to commercialization.

Dariusz Świderek

Project Management Office Director

Currently as PMO Manager in XTPL Dariusz supports R&D teams in all phases of project life cycle and run projects not related to research. He has over 10 years of experience in project management on different positions, mostly related to finance management.

UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE VALENCIA
WEBSITE

The Technical University of Valencia is a leading technical university in Spain, known for its excellence in research and innovation.

Role

  • Defining material specifications and the protocols required to biofunctionalize the graphene field effect transistors (G-FET) biosensor.
  • Designing the GFET biosensor compartment.
  • Developing and testing G-FET and their biofunctionalization protocol.

Key staff

María-José Bañuls Polo

Full Professor in Chemistry

Dr. María-José Bañuls Polo is a distinguished researcher at the Universitat Politècnica de València, where she is involved with the Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico. She has made significant contributions to the fields of molecular recognition and technological development, with numerous publications and patents to her name.

MARIA VICTORIA GONZALEZ PEDRO

Post Doc Researcher

Victoria González Pedro, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral researcher at the Universitat Politècnica de València. Her research focuses on materials chemistry, surface chemistry, nanomaterials manufacturing and processing, and biosensing. She has contributed significantly to the field of perovskite solar cells and has numerous publications in high-impact journals

Jose Maria Gordon Pidal

Academic Researcher

Academic researcher in chemistry with 4 years of experience involved in more than 5 national and international projects.

UNIVERSITY OF OULU
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The University of Oulu is a northern, international science university. They are producing new scientific knowledge and solutions to build a more sustainable, intelligent and humane world. They seek impactful and sustainable solutions to global challenges through multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research. The basis for applied multidisciplinary research is created by long-term basic research.

Role

  • AI model development
  • AI model tailoring and testing in UltraSense use-cases
  • Demonstration and validation of the MetSyn use case

Key staff

Simo Saarakkala

Professor and Head of Research Unit

Prof. Simo Saarakkala is a leading expert in musculoskeletal imaging and biomechanics, focusing on osteoarthritis diagnostics and imaging. He is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Oulu, Finland, with over 230 peer-reviewed publications and an h-index of 51. His research aims to understand and diagnose osteoarthritis early to improve treatment options.

Tuire Salonurmi

University Researcher

University Researcher who coordinates the health vertical of the 6GESS-profiling theme at the University of Oulu, funded by the Academy of Finland. Her research interests include digital health, ICT interventions, health and eating behavior change, metabolic syndrome, obesity/adipose tissue, HDL-cholesterol, and cardiovascular diseases. Tuire has also coordinated the Profi5/DigiHealth-profiling theme and a research project/clinical intervention named PrevMetSyn – Prevent Metabolic Syndrome.

Aleksei Tiulpin

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor at the University of Oulu, specializing in Intelligent Medical Systems and machine learning methods for medical applications. Aleksei is a member of the European Lab for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) and has a distinguished research background, including a PhD with distinction and a title of docent in Machine Learning for Medical Imaging.

INSTITUT JOZEF STEFAN
WEBSITE

The Jožef Stefan Institute is the leading Slovenian scientific research institute, covering a broad spectrum of basic and applied research. The staff of about 1050 specializes in natural sciences, life sciences and engineering.

The subjects concern production and control technologies, communication and computer technologies, knowledge technologies, biotechnologies, new materials, environmental technologies, nanotechnologies, and nuclear engineering.

Role

  • Lifestyle management study protocol development and execution.
  • Lifestyle management study data analysis and validation.

Key staff

Igor Mekjavic

Professor

Prof. Igor Mekjavić is a Scientific Councillor at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia, specializing in environmental physiology. He has an extensive research background in temperature regulation, diving, hypoxia, and gravitational physiology, with an h-index of 47 and over 9,400 citations. Prof. Mekjavić is recognized for his contributions to understanding human physiological responses in extreme environments.

Lydia Tsoutsoubi

Postdoctoral Researcher

Lydia is environmental physiologist, focusing on the thermoregulatory function of the vasomotion system. During the last years, she participated in several European and international funded projects.

BETTHERA
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Bettera’s mission is to deliver high-quality services in health economics, regulatory affairs, and social impact assessment that help their clients develop, implement, and market their medical technologies in a sustainable and ethical way.

Role

  • Regulatory Strategy
  • Business sustainability and commercialization

Key staff

Petra Maresova

Co-Owner and CEO

Prof. Petra Marešová, Ph.D., MBA, is a distinguished academic and researcher at the University of Hradec Králové, where she serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Management. She holds a Ph.D. in Information and Management and has extensive experience in economics, healthcare, and technology innovation2. Prof. Marešová has contributed significantly to various research projects and publications, focusing on areas such as smart cities, Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis, and the economic impact of healthcare innovations.

Lukáš Peter

Chief Technology Officer

Lukáš Peter, Ph.D., is a regulatory affairs specialist at Betthera, where he focuses on ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements for medical technologies. He has extensive experience in the development, testing, and commercialization of medical devices, contributing significantly to the success of various project

Lukáš Režný

Assistant Professor and Analyst

Lukáš Režný, Ph.D., is a specialist at Betthera, where he focuses on health economics and the development, testing, and commercialization of medical technologies. He also serves as an assistant professor at the University of Hradec Králové, contributing to research in economics and healthcare innovation.