USTAV MAKROMOLEKULARNI CHEMIE AV CRVVI

Their core work

The Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences is a public research institute in Prague specializing in polymer science, from synthesis to biomedical and energy applications. Their H2020 work spans biodegradable nanomedicines for cancer treatment, soft polymeric nanostructures for drug delivery (particularly ophthalmology), and alkaline membrane materials for water electrolysis. They bring deep polymer chemistry expertise to applied problems — designing materials at the molecular level that end up in medical devices and clean energy systems.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The institute's earliest H2020 project (PRECIOUS, starting 2016) focused on scaling up nanomedicines for cancer therapy — a manufacturing and scale-up challenge. From 2019 onward, their work diversified: NanoPol explored fundamental polymer self-assembly for ophthalmological drug delivery, while NEWELY applied polymer membrane expertise to green hydrogen production via alkaline electrolysis. This suggests a broadening from biomedical polymer applications toward energy materials, while maintaining their core polymer nanostructure competence.

Moving from purely biomedical polymer applications toward green energy materials (electrolysis membranes), signaling readiness for dual-use polymer expertise in both health and clean energy sectors.

How they like to work

IMC always participates as a partner, never as coordinator — they contribute specialized polymer chemistry expertise to consortia led by others. With 34 unique partners across 16 countries from just 3 projects, they join large, internationally diverse consortia rather than small focused teams. This makes them a reliable specialist contributor who integrates well into big collaborative efforts without needing to drive project management.

Despite only 3 projects, IMC has built a remarkably broad network of 34 partners across 16 countries, indicating participation in large pan-European consortia with wide geographic spread.

What sets them apart

IMC's core strength is the versatility of their polymer chemistry — the same fundamental expertise in designing macromolecular structures applies to cancer drugs, eye treatments, and hydrogen production membranes. Few institutes can credibly bridge biomedical nanomaterials and energy membrane technology from a single discipline. For consortium builders, this means one partner who can contribute polymer material design across very different application domains.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PRECIOUS
  Largest project by funding (EUR 463,855) focused on scaling biodegradable nanomedicines from lab to multimodal cancer immunotherapy — a translation challenge.
• NEWELY
  Marks a strategic pivot into green energy, applying polymer membrane expertise to alkaline water electrolysis for hydrogen production.