BioPhoT Industry Challenge

is a unique initiative where companies submit their industry’s technological challenges*, and scientists develop solutions based on real industry needs. It is an opportunity to apply science in practice and create technologies with a direct impact on industry development.

The industry challenges submitted to the project help guide the research focus toward practically significant issues. At the same time, it is important to emphasize that submission does not grant exclusive rights to the developed results. All intellectual property rights belong to the research organization; however, partners have the opportunity to gain access to the results, for example, through licensing, patent acquisition, or other collaboration mechanisms offered by the research organization. 

* Industry challenges are broader domain or market problems that affect multiple companies and industry stakeholders, with solutions that create significant impact on a European or global scale, rather than being limited to a single organization. 

What does each party gain?

Industry

  • Opportunity to highlight and bring attention to their industry’s challenge so that it is noticed and addressed by the scientific community.
  • Opportunity to identify and select the most suitable collaboration partners.
  • Low risk – no immediate investment required.
  • Access to scientists working on topics of their interest.

Scientists

  • Opportunity to learn about current industry trends and challenges.
  • Genuine industry interest and a clear pathway toward prototype development.
  • Opportunity to work with a specific company.
  • Potential mentoring from the company, providing a pathway to technology transfer.

After the conclusion of BioPhoT there is an opportunity to continue the collaborationif the industry representative sees strong potential and has established a successful connection with the research team.

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Biomedical, medical technologies, and pharmaceuticals

Lymph node-on-a-chip for early-stage vaccine testing offers a human-relevant in vitro platform to study immune responses under dynamic, physiologically relevant conditions.

Traditional animal models often poorly predict human immune reactions due to species-specific differences in lymphoid tissue architecture and signaling. This limits their utility for evaluating early vaccine candidates, especially in terms of human-specific antigen presentation and adaptive immunity.

By mimicking the structure and flow of human lymph nodes, lymph node-on-a-chip systems enable controlled co-culture of dendritic cells, T and B cells, and simulate immune activation following vaccine or adjuvant exposure. This allows real-time monitoring of key markers like cytokine release, T cell priming, and antibody production, providing valuable insights early in the development pipeline.

Such platforms can improve predictive accuracy, reduce reliance on animal testing, and accelerate the selection of promising vaccine candidates before costly in vivo trials. Business case – reagent kits and protocols or CRO.

Organisation:Cellbox Labs

Microbiota – Host coculture Medium addresses a key bottleneck in organ on chip development: the co-culture of human epithelial cells with anaerobic gut microbiota.

Traditional media cannot support both cell types simultaneously, leading to loss of microbial variability or epithelial barrier dysfunction.

Such dual media optimized for perfused chips or other systems providing an oxygenated basal medium for epithelial/endothelial support and an anaerobic apical medium for microbial viability, while maintaining mucosal integrity and metabolic realism could be high value in industry.

SThis capability is essential for predictive in vitro testing of probiotics, microbiota-modulating drugs, antibiotics, and infection models. It enables real-time analysis of host–microbe interactions, immune signaling, and metabolite responses under physiologically relevant conditions.

The business case here is pharma and microbiome companies increasingly require human-relevant platforms for early R&D. Such media could offers a scalable, modular solution, reducing reliance on animal models and unlocking advanced gut on chip applications for next generation therapeutics and nutrition studies. The business case: Reagent.

Organisation:Cellbox Labs

We are seeking innovative, non-contact wireless patient monitoring solutions specifically designed for nursing home environments. The primary focus of these solutions should be the accurate and continuous measurement of heart rate and respiratory rate. The overarching goal is to leverage these vital sign measurements for the improved management of chronic conditions prevalent in nursing home residents, particularly Heart Failure and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Organisation: German multi-national corporation

Co-develop smart tools to connect eligible patients with trials through data-driven site selection and inclusive recruitment strategies.

Organisation:GSK

Create tools that aid doctors in real time while opening new, evidence-based therapeutic pathways.

Organisation.

Develop AI-powered systems to support radiology workflows by generatings accurate, readable image reports for clinical validation.

Organisation:Medicover

Photonics, smart materials, technologies, and engineering systems

Co-develop safe, scalable and eco-efficient solutions to transform industrial ashes into high-performance components for roads and construction.

Organisation.

Co-develop robust, energy-saving solutions to augment the energy efficiency of technological processes, minimizing environmental impact and maximizing productivity.

Organisation.

Design the next generation of recyclable PCB materials to power long-lasting, eco-friendly electronics.

Organisation:ABB

Reinvent additive manufacturing with UV-cured resins built for thermal, mechanical, and electrical excellence.

Organisation:ABB