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INL Hosts First Edition of Falling Walls Lab Portugal, Showcasing Bold Ideas with Global Potential

INL Hosts First Edition of Falling Walls Lab Portugal, Showcasing Bold Ideas with Global Potential

Yesterday afternoon, June 11, the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), in Braga, proudly hosted the first edition of Falling Walls Lab Portugal, bringing to the stage five semi-finalists with bold, breakthrough ideas aiming to shape the future of science and society. The event is part of the global Falling Walls initiative, a renowned competition that gives early-career researchers, innovators, and visionaries the opportunity to present their work in just three minutes, in a dynamic and high-impact format. The semi-finalists at the INL edition presented proposals ranging from novel treatments for breast and lung cancer, to strategies addressing neuroinflammation, promoting scientific inclusion in schools, and creating new pathways to connect art, science, and communities. The event was hosted by Marisol Dias, INL researcher and 2024 Falling Walls Lab global finalist, who brought both energy and inspiration to the session. After the pitches, the audience enjoyed a coffee break and networking session, followed by the highly anticipated jury deliberation and announcement of winners. The winner of this first edition of Falling Walls Lab Portugal was Leonor Ribeiro, with her project “Breaking the Wall of Lung Cancer with a Beam of Light” – a promising approach using photonics to improve lung cancer treatment. Leonor will represent Portugal at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin this November, joining an international […]

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Capturing the Future: Winners of the European Researchers’ Night 2025 Photo Contest Announced

Capturing the Future: Winners of the European Researchers’ Night 2025 Photo Contest Announced

The European Researchers’ Night 2025 Photo Contest has brought science into focus—literally—through a stunning collection of images from around the globe. With 60 submissions from countries including Portugal, Spain, France, Australia, India, and Morocco, this year’s contest proved that scientific inspiration knows no borders. Organised as part of the European Researchers’ Night (ERN)—a European Commission flagship initiative under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions—the contest is one of many events designed to connect science with society. Since 2005, ERN has engaged millions across 30+ countries and 300+ cities, making research more accessible and relevant to the public. Under the theme “Science for a Sustainable Future,” participants were invited to capture the ways science addresses global challenges—from climate change and public health to social equity and innovation. The result: a diverse gallery of powerful visuals reflecting the transformative role of research in everyday life. 🏆 And the Winners Are: 🥇 1st Place – Photo 28: “Microcosmic Chemical Gardens”📷 Karl GaffA breathtaking fusion of science and art, this image reveals the intricate beauty of crystalline formations through polarized light microscopy, highlighting the spontaneous self-assembly of molecules. 🥈 2nd Place – Photo 6: “Hidden Artefacts of Science”📷 Emine KahramanA vivid Scanning Electron Microscope image that unveils the unexpected aesthetic hidden within biomedical materials, showing how even experimental artefacts can become windows into discovery. 🥉 3rd […]

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Interview with António Costa: Where 2D Materials Meet Quantum Innovation

Interview with António Costa: Where 2D Materials Meet Quantum Innovation

Since earning his PhD in 1998, António Costa—Associate in the Rossier Research Group—has dedicated his research to the theoretical exploration of low-dimensional magnetic systems, with a particular emphasis on spin excitations. By combining analytical approaches with computational modeling, he investigates how magnetic materials respond to external influences such as magnetic fields and electrical currents, uncovering fundamental mechanisms that underpin their behavior. Your research focuses on 2D materials and the interface between plasmonics and magnonics. What recent breakthroughs stand out in your work?On the magnonics side, we have been studying the spin excitations of a new kind of magnetic materials called altermagnets. These have properties that are sort of in-between ferromagnets and antiferromagnets. We have demonstrated that the lifetime of magnons in metallic altermagnets can be highly anisotropic, a property that can be exploited technologically to guide magnons along certain paths in the material. Further details can be found in the publication here.On the magnonics/plasmonics interface, we have shown that graphene plasmons can couple strongly to the low-energy magnons in a 2D insulating ferromagnet, which can be uses as a new way to probe magnons in 2D materials, and also as a way to convert a magnetic into an electric signal and […]

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Pioneering Nanomaterials for Energy and Sensing: Symposium Announced for EMRS 2025 Fall Meeting

Pioneering Nanomaterials for Energy and Sensing: Symposium Announced for EMRS 2025 Fall Meeting

The symposium titled “Nanomaterials of the Future – Advancements in Energy and Sensing”, which will be part of the 2025 Fall Meeting of the European Materials Research Society (E-MRS), will take place from September 15–18, 2025, at the University of Technology in Warsaw, Poland. Co-chaired by an esteemed international team of researchers, the event will spotlight the latest breakthroughs in nanomaterials science and their transformative applications in energy, photonics and sensing technologies. Along with Pedro Salomé, the team leader of Salomé research group at INL, the organizing committee includes Maria Josè Lo Faro from Physics Department “Ettore Majorana” of University of Catania and Maria Caterina Giordano from Physics Department of Università degli Studi di Genova, both in Italy, and Sabrina Sartori from Department of Technology Systems of University of Oslo in Norway. “The EMRS meetings are among the most important events in materials science in Europe and this symposium will help to strengthen collaborations in the areas of nanomaterials for energy applications” said Pedro Salomé, underlining the relevance of the event for Europe’s innovation landscape. The symposium will bring together leading scientists, early-career researchers, and technologists to explore advancements in growth techniques, nanofabrication and computational modelling of nanomaterials that exhibit exceptional physical and chemical properties. The ultimate goal: unlocking their […]

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INL Colloquia Series Explores Living Materials with Leading Researcher Dr. Anna Sandak

INL Colloquia Series Explores Living Materials with Leading Researcher Dr. Anna Sandak

INL will host Dr. Anna Sandak as the featured speaker for the May edition of the INL Colloquia Series 2025. A leader in sustainable architecture and advanced materials, Dr. Sandak will share her visionary work on Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) — a new class of bio-integrated materials that bring adaptability, self-regeneration, and environmental responsiveness into the built environment. Her talk will highlight groundbreaking research from two major EU-funded projects: ARCHI-SKIN, which develops living coating systems for buildings using fungal biofilms, and REMEDY, a new initiative exploring bespoke, living layers for architecture — so-called archibiome tattoos — that blend aesthetics with functionality. By merging biotechnology with material science, Dr. Sandak’s work is redefining sustainability in architecture and opening the door to a future where buildings can grow, heal, and evolve with their surroundings. About Dr. Anna Sandak Dr. Sandak is the Deputy Director for Science and Head of the Materials Department at InnoRenew CoE in Slovenia, and an Associate Professor at the University of Primorska. With a strong background in biology and wood science, she has led over a dozen major research projects, including the ERC Consolidator Grant project ARCHI-SKIN and the EIC Pathfinder project REMEDY. Her research focuses on integrating living systems into construction materials to create eco-adaptive and regenerative buildings. About INL Colloquia Series 2025 The INL Colloquia Series 2025 is an inspiring monthly […]

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Graphene-based biosensor breaks detection records for non-invasive monitoring of diabetes

Graphene-based biosensor breaks detection records for non-invasive monitoring of diabetes

A breakthrough biosensor detects glucose in human tears at ultra-low concentrations, opening new avenues for wearable health monitoring technologies. In a significant leap toward the future of diabetes care, INL researchers have developed a graphene-based biosensor capable of detecting glucose at attomolar levels—representing the lowest detection limits ever achieved for this crucial biomarker. It’s comparable to finding a single grain of sugar dissolved in an entire lake. The study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and led by Dr. Andrea Capasso at INL, introduces an ultra-sensitive glucose sensor based on graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) technology. Engineered to operate with extremely small volumes of biological fluid – down to a single tear -, this device has the potential to revolutionise glucose monitoring, particularly in non-invasive and wearable systems. The researchers developed a targeted graphene functionalisation using glucose oxidase (GOx), enabling highly selective glucose recognition. They then employed advanced spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to analyse the graphene’s chemical composition and surface modifications at each stage of functionalisation, from enzyme immobilisation to interaction with the target analyte. “While finger-prick sensors remain the clinical standard for diabetes monitoring, they are often perceived as uncomfortable and invasive,” says Dr. Capasso. “Our goal […]

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No assumptions: just quantum advantage

No assumptions: just quantum advantage

INL researcher Michael de Oliveira, together with collaborators from the University of Cambridge and the Hon Hai (Foxconn) Quantum Computing Research Center, has published a new article in Nature Communications demonstrating that even small, noisy quantum circuits can outperform certain types of classical computation, without relying on assumptions or ideal conditions. This study focuses on constant-depth quantum circuits, meaning that all operations happen in parallel in a very short time – like multiple people completing a task simultaneously rather than one after another. The researchers show that these simple quantum circuits can solve specific problems that no classical circuit of the same kind and size can solve, even when those classical circuits are modelled after neural networks, with tuneable flexibility. The classical models studied here (biased threshold circuits) are used in theoretical models of machine learning and resemble basic neural networks. Despite the authors considering versions with low bias – and therefore greater versatility – they are still outperformed by shallow quantum circuits, even when the quantum devices are noisy or imperfect. What makes this breakthrough particularly important is that it applies to qudits (quantum systems that go beyond binary bits or qubits), and the results are valid across all […]

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INL Statement on the Passing of Pope Francis

INL Statement on the Passing of Pope Francis

The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) joins its founding Member States, Portugal and Spain, in expressing condolences following the passing of Pope Francis. INL offers its most heartfelt sympathies to the Vatican, to His Holiness’s collaborators, and to all who have been touched by his remarkable life and legacy. Throughout his tenure, Pope Francis promoted interfaith dialogue, advocated the ethical use of science and technology, and addressed global inequality and environmental sustainability. These values resonate broadly across societies and align closely with INL’s principles of diversity, inclusion, and mutual respect. In recognition of the universal relevance of these principles, INL marks this moment respectfully and extends sympathies to all those mourning his loss. Photo credits: pexels.com

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Advancing neuronal research using 3D polymeric micro-scaffolds integrated with quantum sensors

Advancing neuronal research using 3D polymeric micro-scaffolds integrated with quantum sensors

A recent research study from INL has successfully merged two cutting-edge 3D tissue engineering strategies – 3D polymeric scaffolds and 3D neuronal spheroids – to create a highly advanced model for studying neuronal behaviour and disease. The collaboration between biomedical engineers, physicists, and neuroscientists has led to the development of a smart polymeric scaffold integrated with fluorescent nanodiamonds, that reveals to be a powerful quantum sensing tool. These low auto-fluorescence scaffolds, fabricated using laser-based 3D microprinting, were designed to be both biocompatible and capable of hosting 3D neuronal spheroids. The fluorescent nanodiamonds embedded within the scaffolds provide the potential for real-time monitoring of magnetic signals and temperature shifts at the nanoscale, providing a new level of precision in studying cellular signalling, disease mechanisms, and drug responses. Beatriz Costa, the first author of this study, emphasises the significance of the work: “The use of low-autofluorescence 3D polymeric scaffolds enabled the integration of quantum metrology techniques with nanodiamonds. When combined with 3D neuronal cell aggregates, this approach holds great potential for in-depth studies of neurodegenerative diseases and beyond.” The study’s success lies in its ability to use these scaffolds to host dopaminergic neurons, crucial to Parkinson’s disease research, and demonstrate the neurons’ […]

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