About Projects

NCP2

UTFORSK 2024: Photonics4Life: Educating interdisciplinary researchers to help solve societal challenges in life sciences

Summary

Photonics is the science of generating, controlling, and detecting light and harnessing the information for transmission, imaging, and sensing. It is recognized by the EU as a key enabling technology with transformative potential in healthcare and life sciences. Despite its growing impact, a gap in higher education between photonics experts and life scientists limits effective translation to clinical applications. Photonics4Life addresses this by fostering interdisciplinary and international collaboration across physics, engineering, biotechnology, AI, and medicine, combined with innovation and commercialization pathways. Focusing on cancer screening, infertility, and antimicrobial resistance, the project connects partners in Norway, India, and the USA to provide both virtual and physical platforms for cross-disciplinary training and student mobility. The project will establish Photonics4Life platform (real & virtual) through collaborative higher education and interdisciplinary training from physics, engineering, and biotechnology background by exposing them with the challenges and opportunities within targeted clinical applications by setting up close cooperation with 2 hospitals in India and Norway. It strengthens higher education through collaborative programs and contributes to the new two-year Master in Photonics and Nanotechnology at UiT, while benefiting students in related biomedical and biotechnology programs.

The Scope of the Project

• Focus on cancer screening and antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
• Photonics4Life Virtual Center for joint training and co-supervision of students
• Develop new interdisciplinary courses and strengthen existing programs
• Provide hands-on training at state-of-the-art facilities and specialized thematic events

Institutes, PIs and Partners

Key Activities

1. Establishing the Photonics4Life Virtual Center to jointly train and co-supervise students across institutions.
2. Arranging student mobility and providing access to world-class research and clinical infrastructure.
3. Developing new interdisciplinary courses while strengthening existing ones.
4. Conducting summer schools and winter workshops at five different locations.
5. Organizing 17 international student mobilities to bridge educational gaps between disciplines. Students will gain hands-on experience at state-of-the-state facilities and through specialized training events focused on niche topics that connect key fields.

INCP2

INCP2: Photonics4Health: Interdisciplinary Synergy between Photonics and Innovation to tackle Global Health Challenges

Summary

The WHO highlights the need for affordable and scalable healthcare technologies to achieve global health equity. Photonics-based technologies offer precise, non-invasive solutions for screening, diagnostics, and disease monitoring. However, a gap remains in higher education between innovators, technology developers and clinical users. Bridging this gap requires the integration of biotechnology, engineering, biology, and medicine, along with efforts in innovation and commercialization. Photonics4Health addresses this by creating an interdisciplinary, internationally collaborative curriculum that integrates biotechnology, engineering, medicine, physics, and AI, with a focus on cancer screening, infertility and in-vitro fertilization (IVF). This proposal seeks to enhance education quality through collaborative initiatives, preparing candidates to address global societal challenges. The initiative connects Norwegian and Indian universities, hospitals, and innovation hubs to strengthen translational research, support student mobility, and translate research into proof-of-concept medical devices, while enhancing and contributing to advanced educational programs in health technology and medical device innovation.

The Scope of the Project

• Curriculum integration across biotechnology, engineering, medicine, physics, and AI
• Focus on cancer screening, infertility, and IVF
• Strengthen translational research and student mobility
• Translate research into proof-of-concept medical devices

Partners Table

Key Activities

1. Creation of an interdisciplinary curriculum
2. Collaborative research initiatives
3. Student and faculty exchange programs
4. Workshops and thematic events