The Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) framework is increasingly recognized as a key approach for the development of next-generation advanced materials, ensuring that safety, environmental impact, and functionality are integrated from the earliest stages of innovation. Within this paradigm, bio-inspired materials offer an important strategy for creating multifunctional solutions that combine high efficacy with intrinsic biological compatibility. Getting inspiration from naturally occurring functional molecules—such as antimicrobial peptides and extracellular matrix components—self-assembling polymeric systems can be engineered to generate coatings capable of providing antimicrobial, anti-biofilm, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative properties across a wide range of surfaces, materials and geometries.
The activities presented here focus on the development and translation of bio-inspired multifunctional coatings for healthcare applications, including medical devices, wound care materials, and hospital environments. A particular attention is given to the design of coatings that can be integrated onto diverse substrates while maintaining safety for patients, healthcare workers, and the environment.
Within this context, the Horizon 202 NOVA project explores the application of SSbD principles to the development of safe and sustainable antimicrobial coatings for hospital textiles, aiming to reduce nosocomial infections while minimizing ecological impact and chemical hazards. In parallel, Horizon 2020 TOXBOX project enables the integration of predictive toxicological assessment and early-stage safety screening via a dedicated instrument into the material development pipeline. Together, these approaches support the development of high-performance coatings that combine biological inspiration, functional efficacy, and demonstrable safety and sustainability for next-generation healthcare technologies.