KOALA · Novel strategies for wound management

The objective of the proposed research is the exchange of staff between Europe and Australia for the development of intelligent, bio-responsive materials that will SIGNAL and TREAT INFECTION in wounds as well as SUPPLY valuable medication “on demand” for rapid healing. Wound healing is a worldwide challenge and is, in its basic requirements, common to all people. Different areas of the world, however, show some variations in the abundance of different wound types, use and availability of modern health care products. It is also obvious that separate but complementary solutions for the same (or related) health care problems have been developed. It is the aim of the present proposal to reduce this gap between the continents, to improve communication and knowledge transfer and to bring together wound healing research groups and organisations worldwide. The European beneficiaries and the Australian participant are partners in a joint FP7 project since July 2010 (Bacteriosafe, grant#245500, http://www.mpip-mainz.mpg.de/eu-projekte/bacteriosafe/), where the role of the Australian partner is merely as a non cost partner providing advice and some expertise. This FP7 collaboration was spurred by the fact, that also in July 2010, the Australian group received substantial funding from the Australian government, nursing sector and Australian industry for a Wound Management Innovation Cooperative Research Centre (WMICRC, http://www.unisa.edu.au/news/2009/221209.asp) All parties involved recognised the tremendous potential in joining forces and agreed to start a dialogue between continents on this very pressing and worldwide problem. The first step has already been made and the currently running FP7 project # 245500 is a basis for communication. We now propose to take the second step and overcome the geographical separation between the continents and carry out joint scientific research within and beyond the currently running research projects in Europe and in Australia.""