CENTER ODLICNOSTI NANOZNANOSTI IN NANOCENTER

Their core work

The Nanocenter is a Slovenian Center of Excellence in nanoscience that functions primarily as a host institution for ERC-funded researchers, providing the infrastructure and environment for advanced optical physics and nanophotonics research. Their most developed research line, anchored in the Cell-Lasers ERC Starting Grant, focuses on engineering living cells to act as intracellular laser sources — a genuine intersection of nanophotonics and cell biology with applications in biological imaging, chemical sensing, and force measurement at the cellular level. Earlier work under the Umem4QC project explored ultrafast charge density wave materials as memory substrates for quantum computing. In practical terms, the Nanocenter is where ERC-funded scientists in Slovenia do their work: it supplies the physical and institutional setting, while the scientific output is driven by individual research group leaders embedded in the center.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2017–2018, the Nanocenter hosted research in condensed matter physics and quantum computing — specifically ultrafast charge density wave phenomena as a potential memory mechanism. By 2020, the focus had shifted entirely to biophotonics: intracellular lasers, microcavities inside living cells, and optical methods for biological measurement and sensing. This is not a gradual drift but a clear pivot from quantum materials to cell biology-driven photonics — two nanoscience domains that share instrumentation heritage but serve completely different application markets.

The Nanocenter is consolidating around biophotonics — specifically the use of optical microcavities in biological contexts — which positions them as a potential collaborator for life-science imaging, lab-on-chip sensing, and optical biosensor development through 2025 and beyond.

How they like to work

The Nanocenter has participated in 2 projects without ever taking a coordinator role, and their recorded consortium is exceptionally small — 1 unique partner in 1 country. This is consistent with the ERC grant model, where the host institution is formally enrolled but the science is driven by an individual PI's research group. Working with the Nanocenter likely means engaging directly with a specific research group rather than a large institutional apparatus, which can make collaboration faster and more direct but also more dependent on individual researcher availability.

The Nanocenter's formal H2020 network is minimal — 1 unique partner across 1 country (Slovenia). This reflects the ERC funding structure rather than institutional isolation, but it does mean they have not built broad multi-partner consortium experience through these grants.

What sets them apart

The Nanocenter holds Center of Excellence status in Slovenia for nanoscience, making it one of the few formally designated nanoscience hubs in the country with ERC grant track record — a meaningful signal of research quality at European level. Their Cell-Lasers project sits at an unusual intersection: using living cells themselves as laser cavities, which is rare globally and opens applications in biosensing and intracellular diagnostics that no standard photonics or biology lab can easily replicate. For a consortium needing credible nanophotonics or biophotonics expertise from Slovenia, there is essentially no direct domestic competitor with comparable ERC-validated credentials.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Cell-Lasers
  The largest investment (EUR 413,070, ERC Starting Grant running to 2025) and the most scientifically distinctive project — engineering living cells as optical laser sources, with direct applications in intracellular imaging, chemical barcoding, and biological force measurement.
• Umem4QC
  An ERC Proof of Concept grant exploring charge density wave materials for quantum computing memory — evidence of an earlier, distinct research line in quantum technologies that preceded the biophotonics pivot.