The University of Belgrade – Institute of Chemistry, Technology, and Metallurgy (ICTM) has officially concluded its 2025 internal projects call, awarding funding to four Seed Research Grant 2025 projects and two Proof of Concept (PoC) 2025 projects. These initiatives, continues to foster scientific excellence and technological innovation within ICTM and to encourage young researchers to pursue their ideas.

A total of 16 proposals were submitted: 10 for Seed Research Grant 2025 and 6 for PoC 2025. The selection process was overseen by Dr. Sanja Vraneš, our National Institutional Consultant within SAIGE project, ensuring transparency and scientific rigor.  Each Seed Research Grant proposal was evaluated by two referees, from the Transformation Team, but this year also from colleagues with recent success in competitive project calls. The International Cooperation and Project Office (ICPO) managed all administrative aspects.  PoC proposals were assessed by the Knowledge & Technology Transfer (KTT) team, with oversight from Dr. Jelena Gvozdenović Jeremić, our Consultant for Technological Transfer within SAIGE project. 

The calls were open from 15 April to 15 May, the Review Panel convened on 2 June 2025 to assess submissions.  A follow-up meeting between the Review Panel and Principal Investigators (PIs) took place on 13 June 2025, where the final funding decisions were announced.

Seed Research Grant 2025 awarded projects: 

• Hybrid Modeling of a Low-Energy, Eco-Friendly Membrane Separation System at the Laboratory Scale (HELMS) – Led by Aleksa Miladinović
• Surface Functionalized Niobium-Based MXene Electrodes for Enhanced Capacitance and Energy Storage Performance (SurfMEX) – Led by Ivan Pešić
• Novel Enzyme Solutions for Targeted Gluten Hydrolysis (GlutNZym) – Led by **Marija Stefanović
• Next-Gen Jolkinolide-Based Compounds for Drug Development (NEWJOLK) – Led by Stefan Lekić

Proof of Concept (PoC) 2025 awarded projects:    

• Development of an Innovative Composite Material Based on Amino-Functional Polymers and Zeolite (ZeoAminoPolyX) for the Treatment of Contaminated Waters – Led by Dr. Miloš Dubovina
• Next-Generation Digital Tool for On-Site PFAS Quantification (ddPFAS) – Led by Dr. Karla Milčić

ICTM extends heartfelt congratulations to the awarded teams and acknowledges the efforts of all applicants. While not every proposal could be funded, the exceptional quality of submissions demonstrates ICTM’s strong research ecosystem.