The University of Belgrade – Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy (ICTM) has signed a five-year academic cooperation agreement with the Faculty of International Resource Sciences (FIRS), Akita University, Japan. The agreement establishes a framework for the exchange of students, researchers, and administrative staff, joint research projects in fields of mutual interest, to hold lectures, symposia, and dissemination of academic materials.

This collaboration strengthens ICTM’s international network and reinforces our dedication to advancing scientific research and education.

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. 

We are proud of our colleague Ivan Pešić, who received an award at the conference "XII International Conference - IcETRAN 2025", held in Čačak, 9-12 June 2025, for the best young researcher’s paper in the Microelectronics and Optoelectronics, Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies (MOI) session. The work was created as part of the project “Polymer-graphene heterostructures for physiological parameter monitoring” - Polygraph (#4950), funded by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia:

WEARABLE HEART RATE SENSOR BASED ON MXENE-COATED POLYMER MEMBRANE, I. Pešić, M. Spasenović, M. Rašljić-Rafajilović, S. Ilić, M. V. Bošković, J. O. Durand, and M. V. Pergal

Congratulations to our colleagues, and good luck in your future work!

ICTM proudly announces its participation in a new project approved under the EUREKA Network (call 2024)

The EUREKA SAFEDRINK project ("Design and development eco-friendly filter media for safe drinking water"), coordinated by ICTM, aims to design and develop innovative sorbents to be used as efficient media in filters for the removal of toxic arsenic compounds from drinking water. The project's primary goal is the design and development of environmentally friendly nanomaterials and functionalized biomaterials and their composites, which are selective for the target analyte (arsenic), exhibit high sorption capacity, and preserve the natural chemical composition of the water.

Additionally, the filters incorporate innovative silver-based antimicrobial components for biological water treatment. The development of multilayer filter prototypes provides a foundation for further product development and commercialization. The project is intended for civilian use, driven by industry needs, with the ultimate goal of creating efficient water purification technology — from technical to drinking water.

Project partners include the Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy (ICTM) – the coordinating institution of the project, Faculty of Metallurgy and Technology (University of Montenegro, Podgorica) and Analysis d.o.o. (Belgrade).

The scientific team includes: