The second cycle of the CLiCAM Innovation Leadership Programme commenced at CEITEC BUT in Brno with a successful three-day workshop. Bringing together a wide range of professionals, from ERA Talents to project managers, research groups representatives and innovation leaders, the program focused on advancing core competencies in research management, grant proposal development, project management and sustainable innovation.

• Day 1 launched the whole training with the Research Projects Development and Management I lecture by Zuzana Reptová. Key topics covered were represented by basics of grant proposal development, academic and technical writing, and strategies for building strong, international research consortia.


• Day 2 offered detailed lectures on project planning, structuring ideas into impactful outcomes, and preparing final assignments, all delivered by Zuzana Reptová. Later that day, Gabriela Čičmancová presented on Building Capacities for Sustainable Innovation I, highlighting talent management, mentoring, onboarding, and supporting diverse and resilient teams.


• Day 3 concluded with Building Capacities for Sustainable Innovation II by Zuzana Reptová. Attendees had a great chance to examine the R&I policy landscape, global and regional frameworks such as the EU R&I Strategic Plan, RIS3 strategies, European Green Deal, and UN SDGs and also get a better picture of FP10 and transnational funding schemes.

Throughout the three-day program, the event provided an excellent opportunity for sharing best practices in practical methodologies and analytical tools. Beyond technical instruction, the training served as a strategic platform for networking and knowledge transfer, supporting cross-border collaboration among researchers and professionals from across Europe

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the instructors, the organizing teams from CEITEC BUT and FunGlass Trenčín, and all participants for their invaluable contributions and expertise. It is anticipated that the knowledge exchanged and the collaborations established during this event will impact future research initiatives and foster sustainable innovation.

On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, a series of short talks will be held by ERA Talents Pavel Gejdoš, Serhii Tkachenko, and Ladislav Čelko, who will present their experiences from last year’s secondments at Zoz GmbH (Germany) and Treibacher Industrie AG (Austria). These practical trainings took place as a part of the international CLiCAM project.

Location: CEITEC BUT, Purkyňova 123, Brno 612 00, Meeting Room S
Time: from 3:00 p.m.

Join us and listen what activities ERA talents worked on, which technologies they encountered, and what experiences they gained from the international collaboration.

You are warmly invited!

On February 9, 2026, CLiCAM hosted the Biomaterials Research Day webinar that served as a forum for experts to exchange insights on bioactive glasses, tissue engineering, and biosafety. The event emphasized how cross-disciplinary partnerships between medicine, biology and materials science are essential for driving innovation in the field.

Co-organized by the FunGlass Centre, the CLiCAM project, and the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg’s Institute of Biomaterials, the webinar offered a robust scientific agenda. It combined keynote presentations from established experts with engaging, interactive dialogue among participants.

Attendees discussed key topics:

• Recent research on bioactive and mesoporous glasses
• New approaches in bone and dental tissue engineering
• Advanced scaffold fabrication and processing techniques
• Developments in nanomaterial biosafety and molecular methodologies
• Translational perspectives connecting materials science, biology, and clinical applications

The webinar functioned as a venue for intellectual exchange and the identification of future research challenges in the biomaterials sector. Driven by active participation from both presenters and guests, the event addressed the accelerating pace of innovation and the necessity of cross-sector partnerships.

We express our sincere gratitude to speakers, attendees, and partners whose contributions ensured success of this great initiative

Dr. Akansha Mehta, ERA Talent and researcher from FunGlass, Department of Glass Processing, was a featured speaker at the Global Women's Breakfast 2026, networking event organized to celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The breakfast took place at Café Sissi, Hotel Elizabeth, Trenčín, Slovakia.

Akansha, who was a 2024 laureate of the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science programme in Slovakia and a finalist in the ESET Science Award in the category Outstanding Scientist in Slovakia under 35, shared her scientific journey with attendees – emphasizing the importance of everyday routine and dedication in research. Her talk offered an inspirational perspective that resonated with the attendees, including other ERA Talents present, namely: Dr. Anusha Sekar, Dr. Anastasia Novokhatska, and Dr. Diana Lago.

The event was organized by FunGlass in alignment with the IUPAC Global Women's Breakfast 2026 (GWB) initiative that promotes a global network aimed at closing the gender gap in science. This year's motto, "Many Voices, One Science," highlights the importance of diversity, inclusion, and open dialogue in scientific research — values that correspond with the CLiCAM project.

The motto perfectly captures the daily reality at FunGlass, with researchers coming from 16 different countries and half of them being women. But the diversity is not just a statistic. FunGlass exemplifies how diversity in science – whether through gender, nationality, or background – strengthens research outcomes and creates a more vibrant and inclusive scientific community.

The event opened with a welcome speech by FunGlass Director, Professor Dušan Galusek, who drew upon his personal meeting with renowned primatologist and anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall to praise the invaluable contributions of women researchers. His reflections set an inspiring and thoughtful tone for the morning program.

Following Dr. Mehta's presentation, Dr. Zuzana Neščáková, Researcher from the Department of Biomaterials, shared her perspective on building and navigating a career in science. Dr. Neščáková has been featured by student science outreach initiatives highlighting women in science, such as the SAVIA "Her Science, Her Story" project, where students chose her as an inspiring scientist.

The program continued with a networking breakfast, providing researchers with valuable time to connect, exchange ideas, and build lasting professional relationships in a relaxed atmosphere.

As the CLiCAM project and FunGlass look to the future, events like this networking breakfast underscore the commitment to fostering an environment where every voice is heard, valued, and contributes to advancing scientific knowledge.

We are pleased to invite you to our upcoming scientific webinar, “Advanced Zirconia–2D Nanomaterials Composites,” presented by Dr. Rosalía Poyato.

Dr. Poyato is a Senior Research Scientist at the Materials Science Institute of Seville (Spain). Her research focuses on ceramic matrix composites reinforced with two-dimensional nanomaterials, including graphene and 2D boron nitride, with particular emphasis on their electrical and mechanical properties as well as structure–property relationships.

The webinar will be delivered online via MS Teams in two parts:

• January 21 (Wednesday) / 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
  Topic: Tailoring the microstructure of advanced zirconia composites incorporating 2D nanomaterials through the control of processing.
• January 23 (Friday) / 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
  Topic: Mechanical and electrical properties of advanced zirconia ceramics incorporating 2D nanomaterials: Potential applications.

Registration Information:

To register, please contact Michaela Matejová at michaela.matejova@tnuni.sk.

Don’t miss this opportunity to explore cutting-edge advancements in ceramic composites with one of the field’s most esteemed researchers!

Join us for an exclusive series of scientific webinars focusing on the subject of 'Sintering,' featuring esteemed guest speaker Prof. Suk-Joong L. Kang, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Korea Institute of Advanced Science and Technology.

Prof. Kang will delve into the intricacies of sintering, covering topics such as densification, grain growth, and microstructure. As a distinguished guest at FunGlass Centre from April 15 to May 15, 2024, Prof. Kang will deliver a series of enlightening lectures sure to captivate students and researchers alike. These lectures will be accessible via MS Teams platform on the specified dates:

• Wednesday, April 17, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., CET: Basis of Sintering Science I.
• Friday, April 19, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., CET: Basis of Sintering Science II.
• Friday, April 26, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., CET: Bonding and Densification I.
• Monday, April 29, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., CET: Bonding and Densification II.
• Tuesday, April 30, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., CET: Grain Growth and Microstructural Evolution I.
• Monday, May 6, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., CET: Grain Growth and Microstructural Evolution II.
• Tuesday, May 7, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., CET: Supplementary subjects I.
• Monday, May 13, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., CET: Supplementary subjects II.

Prof. Kang's expertise is extensive, with over 300 published papers on sintering and microstructural evolution in ceramics and metals. He authored the seminal text 'Sintering: Densification, Grain Growth and Microstructure' in 2005 and is renowned for developing the 'Pore Filling Theory' of liquid phase sintering.

These webinar series present a unique opportunity to engage with a leading authority in materials science. We cordially invite you to participate in our webinar lecture series and expand your understanding of this fascinating field.

These webinars are organized as part of the dissemination activities under the Horizon Europe project – CLiCAM. Don't miss out on this enriching experience!

On 4 December, FunGlass department heads and the staff of Administration Unit participated in an online workshop held in cooperation with FunGlass partners from Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen – Nürnberg. Prof. A. R. Boccaccini together with his colleagues Dr. Julia Will from Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Dr. Marco Mank from Department of Strategic Planning Office of Knowledge and Technology Transfer and Continuing Education of FAU shared with us their experiences and best practices on gender/diversity management and IPR protection.

Thank you for their inputs and suggestions!

CLiCAM project (101120555) is a new project funded under the Horizon Europe program which started on September 1^st, 2023, with an official Kick-off meeting happening on September 27^th, 2023. The consortium consists of 4 academic institutions: FunGlass as coordinator, BRNO UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY  (BUT), Institute of Plasma Physics of the CAS (IPP), and POLITECHNIKA WROCLAWSKA / Wroclaw University of Science and Technology  (WUST), and 7 industrial partners: LITHOZ GMBH, TREIBACHER INDUSTRIE AG, INTERPANE ENTWICKLUNGS- UND BERATUNGSGESELLSCHAFT MBH, 3D CENTER SP. Z O. O. , OUEST COATING (PMG), CASTOLIN SP ZOO, ZOZ GMBH. The project’s main goal is to cultivate future leaders, so-called ERA Talents in research and innovations through intersectoral collaboration.

The Kick-off meeting was held on-site as well as online, starting with a presentation full of useful information and implementation tips given by our project officer Ms. Alina-Maria Bercea, followed by presentations from the consortium beneficiaries. The morning part was specifically useful because thanks to the introduction of each partner’s work we could see a strong potential for cooperation not only in the CLiCAM but also in the future proposal in the Horizon Europe program. The afternoon session was focused on details of the project work packages, discussing ERA Talent’s secondment schedules and content, and discussing the follow-up actions about ERA Talent’s reintegration. The financial presentations were devoted to the action plan for the upcoming 12 months.

About the project objective:

Too often, great research ideas as well as talented researchers from Europe are acquired by non-European players who turn them into impactful innovations whose economic benefits are realized outside the EU. In addition, the innovation divide between the widening countries and the other member states persists (patent applications per million inhabitants not reaching 15% of the EU benchmark). The problem of the inability to transform the potential of basic research into the development of commercially viable innovations thus becomes a serious obstacle for the sustainable economic development of countries such as the Czechia, Poland, and Slovakia.

In response, the CLiCAM project will cultivate participating ERA talents into leaders who will make innovation happen through intersectoral collaboration. The innovation leadership provided by ERA talents shall transform participating research organisations from widening countries into innovation beacons turning basic research into sustainable prosperity in fields of coatings and additive manufacturing. In doing so, the project will create an R&I ecosystem contributing to the development of relevant key enabling technologies across three domains critical for Europe’s technological sovereignty: advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, and life-science technologies.

The actions of the consortium will concern three pillars of innovation:

i) people – cross-sector secondments and Innovation Leadership training,

ii) processes – reintegration actions and benchmarking initiative,

iii) infrastructure – two virtual test bed ecosystems for better use of existing research facilities.

The long-term impact will be to strengthen human capital base in R&I (qualified personnel for impactful innovation), initiate technology transfer activities (patent applications, licensing transactions, contractual research) and generate future R&D investments (intersectoral research projects, virtual test bed ecosystems, spin-offs).