Knowledge Exchange and Capacity Building through Secondments – Year 1 Recap
The Twinn4MicroUp project successfully completed its first year of researcher and staff exchanges, strengthening collaboration and knowledge transfer among partner institutions. These mobility activities advanced both scientific expertise and research management capacity, laying solid foundations for future achievements.
Research Secondments
- NTUA at TUS: Advancing Plastic Depolymerisation (January 2025, Athlone, Ireland)
NTUA researchers Mrs. Katerina Foka and Dr. Stratos Nikolaivits visited TUS to gain expertise in mechano-chemical pre-treatment of plastics. The team explored reactive extrusion (REX) and microwave-based methods, applying them to polylactic acid (PLA) depolymerization. Their experiments demonstrated the successful production of lactic acid, confirmed through FTIR and HPLC analysis, providing valuable insights into bioplastic upcycling strategies.
- NTUA at IMGGE: Engineering Microbial Tools for Plastic Valorisation (February–March 2025, Belgrade, Serbia)
NTUA PhD candidates Mr. Konstantinos Makryniotis and Mrs. Markella Papi joined IMGGE to train in molecular approaches for developing microbial cell factories and enzymatic tools for plastic waste valorisation. The exchange focused on engineering strains with polyesterase genes to enhance their ability to metabolize polycaprolactone (PCL). This work contributes to innovative pathways for sustainable plastic biodegradation and recycling.
Administrative Secondments
- NTUA at TUS: Enhancing Research Management Practices (April 2025, Athlone, Ireland)
Dr. Christina Ferousi (NTUA) visited TUS to strengthen her expertise in research management and administrative practices. The program included training on grant lifecycle management, exposure to the Elsevier Pure system, and insights into research support services. She also engaged with research institutes such as LIFE and PRISM, participated in outreach and public engagement activities, and explored models for university–industry collaboration. The visit provided valuable experience in integrating administrative structures with scientific environments, contributing to Twinn4MicroUp’s capacity-building goals.
- Strengthening Research Management at NTUA with TUS and IMGGE (March–May 2025, Athens, Greece)
As part of the project’s capacity-building activities, representatives from TUS and IMGGE collaborated with NTUA to enhance the effectiveness of its Research Management and Administration (RMA) structures and practices. Ms. Lorna Walsh and Ms. Michelle Cooney from TUS shared insights and best practices on EU project support, funding workflows, and research office organization through dedicated seminars. Mr. Milan Slavković from IMGGE contributed tailored recommendations on workflow optimization, staffing approaches, and project lifecycle management tools, supporting NTUA’s efforts to strengthen its research support ecosystem.
These exchanges illustrate the core mission of Twinn4MicroUp: building excellence in microbial upcycling research while enhancing institutional capacity across the consortium. Year 1 secondments not only advanced scientific and administrative knowledge but also reinforced the strong transnational collaboration that will drive the project forward in the coming years.
