OrChESTRA
Organ-on-a-Chip Focused Strategic Partnership

ODTÜ MEMS Center, with its expertise in microsystems, is already well positioned in in the field of microfluidics, using its advanced know-how and infrastructure to support both industry and academic partners to access these technologies. With the advancement of technology existing in other European regions, the potential for the center to excel by benefiting from not only isolated innovations but also a holistic knowledge basis will ultimately support European interests by expanding them into the huge market potential of the organ-on-a-chip platforms.

The OrChESTRA Twinning Action aims to upgrade the BioMEMS research unit of ODTÜ MEMS Center into a Center of Excellence in the field of microfluidics, and in combination with biosensors, particularly on organ-on-a-chip platforms, building upon its already existing expertise and state-of-the-art infrastructure. This Center of Excellence will position itself as a premier location for innovation, education and industrial services for microfluidics, particularly on organ-on-a-chip platforms. It will reinforce Turkey’s scientific capabilities, that will bring high societal as well as economic impacts with broad implications in medicine and health-care.

Start date: 01.09.2022
End date: 31.08.2025
Duration: 36 months
Programme: Horizon Europe
Call: HORIZON-WIDERA-2021
Area: WIDERA-Twinning
Project nb.: 101079473
Funding scheme: CSA
Total budget: 1,49 M€

Objectives

OrChESTRA is a twinning action that links four research organisations that are active in the microfluidics field. The project builds productive and sustainable collaboration links between ODTÜ MEMS and its internationally-leading counterparts TU/e, IMEC, and UFR. With the three twinning partners in place, ODTÜ MEMS aims to acquire the expertise needed not only to fill the identified gaps regarding knowledge, capacity, and networking, but also to join leading networks of excellence in microfluidic based research areas as an equal partner.

To achieve this goal, the consortium will work towards the following concrete objectives:

● Objective 1: Raising the research profile of ODTÜ MEMS and its researchers
● Objective 2: Enhancing institutional capacity of ODTÜ MEMS
● Objective 3: Excellence in the wider impact for the innovation ecosystem and beyond
● Objective 4: Integration into European networks of excellence