Last week, representatives of NOVA joined a workshop in Ghent that was both scientifically valuable and personally meaningful. Invited by our sister projects SUPREME and TRIPLE-A-COAT, we had the opportunity to meet, exchange ideas and reflect on the work accomplished together as NOVA reaches its conclusion this week.

Several members of the NOVA team attended, including Bernd Nowak, Engin Vrana, Sara Espinoza and Melusine Billig. Across two days, the workshop brought together researchers, innovators and project partners to discuss progress in antimicrobial coatings, technical developments, sustainability and safety. For NOVA, it was a fitting final event: a celebration of the project’s results, its interdisciplinary approach and the people who made the work possible.

NOVA’s vision takes centre stage

The first session, Innovation Showcase: Project Visions & Progress, offered an opportunity to present the achievements and direction of several projects. Sara Espinoza represented NOVA with a presentation on the project’s vision and progress.

NOVA’s work is built around a holistic approach to next-generation antimicrobial coatings. Rather than focusing only on whether a coating works, NOVA has addressed the complete pathway from development to application: designing and optimising coating technologies, testing their efficacy under conditions that better reflect real-life use, assessing their safety for human health and the environment, developing suitable application tools, and exploring how data science and machine learning can support future coating development.

This integrated perspective was central to NOVA’s presentation. The project has brought together expertise from materials science, microbiology, toxicology, sustainability assessment, engineering, industrial application and data science. Through this collaboration, NOVA has worked towards coating solutions that are not only effective, but also safe, sustainable and suitable for clearly defined use cases.

The workshop was therefore an excellent setting to share NOVA’s progress and to show how the project’s different strands connect. From light-activated technologies to advanced testing approaches and Safe and Sustainable by Design considerations, the project has always been about linking innovation with practical relevance.

From innovation to technical advances

The second session, Technical Advances: Selected Project Results and Developments, focused on selected scientific results and developments. Engin Vrana presented NOVA’s contribution with the talk “Machine Learning-Supported Development of Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design Biopolymer-Based Antimicrobial Coatings: Lessons from NOVA.”

The presentation showed how NOVA combines biopolymer-based antimicrobial coatings with data-driven development and Safe and Sustainable by Design principles. It also highlighted the practical potential of these coatings for medical textiles and other applications, as well as the value of machine learning and in-silico modelling for developing formulations tailored to specific requirements.

Sustainability and safety in focus

On the second day, Bernd Nowak joined the panel discussion in the thematic session Sustainability and Safety.

The panel brought together perspectives from Ivan Muñoz of 2-0 LCA, Prof. Henny van der Mei of the University Medical Center Groningen, Prof. Hans Bouwmeester of Wageningen University and Prof. Dr Bernd Nowack of EMPA. The discussion addressed questions that are essential for the responsible development and uptake of new antimicrobial technologies: how can safety and sustainability be considered from the beginning? How can environmental impacts be assessed across the life cycle? And how can innovation deliver meaningful benefits without creating new risks?

These questions are at the heart of NOVA’s approach. The project has considered safety and sustainability as integral parts of coating development rather than as final checks carried out after the technology has already been designed. This includes attention to human health, environmental release, degradation, persistence and the broader life cycle of coating materials.

The panel was a valuable reminder that successful innovation is not measured by performance alone. It also depends on transparency, evidence, responsible design and a clear understanding of where and how a technology should be used. These principles have guided NOVA throughout its journey and will remain important for the future development of antimicrobial coatings.

A final shared outing for NOVA

Beyond the formal programme, the Ghent workshop was also special because it was NOVA’s last shared outing. After four years of joint work, meetings, discussions, experiments, deadlines and achievements, being together in person one more time gave the event an additional meaning.

And, of course, the organised beer tasting at the university’s own brewery was one of the highlights – strictly not work-related, naturally. It was a wonderful chance to relax, enjoy Ghent together and celebrate the collaboration behind the project in a less formal setting. Some project results are measured in data and deliverables; others are remembered in conversations, laughter and a shared toast.

Thank you

A very big thank you goes to our sister projects SUPREME and TRIPLE-A-COAT for inviting NOVA to this wonderful workshop and for creating such a warm, open and inspiring space for exchange.

We would also like to thank all speakers, panellists, moderators, organisers and participants for their valuable contributions, thoughtful discussions and enthusiasm. Thank you to everyone who shared results, asked questions, offered perspectives and helped make the event such a meaningful conclusion to NOVA’s journey.

Finally, thank you to the entire NOVA consortium. The project’s progress would not have been possible without the commitment, expertise and generosity of all partners. NOVA has always been more than a collection of individual work packages: it has been a genuinely collaborative effort to develop antimicrobial coating technologies that are effective, safe, sustainable and relevant to real-world needs.

Ghent was the perfect final event for NOVA – scientifically rich, collaborative, memorable and, thanks to the beer tasting, very enjoyable as well. As NOVA reaches the end of its project journey, we leave with pride in what we have achieved together and gratitude for the people who made it possible.

Thank you, NOVA community. It has been quite a journey.