First meeting of the FunctiGlass project at the University of Milano‑Bicocca
From March 16-20, 2026, the University of Milano-Bicocca hosted participants in the European project FunctiGlass (101169415), funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks. This was the first meeting of both project beneficiaries and partners, combined with a doctoral school in optical glasses and their applications.
Employees of the Optical Spectroscopy Department met with scientists and representatives of companies from Italy, France, Germany, Finland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, and Kazakhstan to officially launch the training of young specialists in the field of functional optical structures based on glass. Representatives from the European Research Executive Agency, the Joint Research Centre, and the Italian Agency for the Promotion of European Research also attended the event.
The FunctiGlass project, coordinated by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Nice, brings together 20 research institutions and companies from nine countries. The main goal of the research is to develop advanced technologies in the field of functional glass, including optical fibers, with applications in optics, sensors, and medicine. Project activities also aim to educate a new generation of highly qualified scientists conducting interdisciplinary research in physics, chemistry, materials science, biology, and medicine. The project involves 11 doctoral students, whose doctorates are being conducted in a co-tutelle format.
At the Institute, Dr. hab. Anna Łukowiak and Dr. hab. Maciej Ptak, INTiBS professors , will play a key role in educating young scientists. Research conducted as part of the project will include, among other things, the development of optical sensors for the rapid detection of bacteria in food and the use of specialized glass in the detection of radiation used in medicine.
