The European Commission has announced the results of the EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2024 competition under the Horizon Europe programme.

Among the winning projects is “BORN” – Biobased Thermal-resistant Food Packaging, which will be implemented at Poznan University of Technology. The project covers the entire life cycle of the BORN polymer material – from the design and development of sustainable nucleating agents, through modification and production of polymer compositions, to the manufacturing of prototypes and testing their suitability for food packaging, and finally, to the end-of-life phase. The innovative BORN material addresses the growing market demand for bio-based, compostable, and food-contact-safe plastics with enhanced thermal stability.

The project involves eight research institutions from Italy, Poland, Germany, Sweden, Spain, and Switzerland. Dr. Maria Laura Di Lorenzo leads the project from the Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy (IPCB-CNR) in Pozzuoli. The grant leader at Poznan University of Technology is Dr. Monika Dobrzyńska-Mizera from the Institute of Materials Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

The total project funding amounts to €3,291,846.88, of which €470,875.00 has been allocated to Poznan University of Technology.