A new project, SafeTouch, has officially launched with the ambitious goal of developing smart self-decontaminating surfaces to help prevent the spread of infections in healthcare and public environments, and Martel Netherlands is a partner. Funded by the Horizon Europe programme, SafeTouch is an EIC-Pathfinder project that brings together leading European partners to develop and commercialize a cutting-edge solution responding to growing global demands for safer, greener, and more intelligent hygiene systems.
At the heart of the project is the development of iSafeTouch (iST) microfilms – flexible, intelligent coatings that eliminate pathogens within milliseconds through ultrafast thermal activation. Once touched, these surfaces detect human contact, trigger an internal heating cycle, and instantly decontaminate themselves, all without the use of chemicals or water. This eco-friendly innovation will be further enhanced by integration into the Smart Hygiene Grid (SHG), a connected ecosystem of smart surfaces that can be remotely monitored and managed.
A timely response to healthcare and public safety challenges
SafeTouch arrives at a time when the risks of surface-borne infections — both in hospitals and everyday spaces — are receiving urgent attention. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) affect over 4 million patients annually in Europe alone, with significant impacts on public health systems and vulnerable populations. Current hygiene methods rely heavily on manual cleaning protocols and chemical disinfectants, which are not always practical, efficient, or sustainable. SafeTouch proposes a disruptive shift: an intelligent surface that can maintain its own cleanliness, protect users in real time, and reduce the environmental burden of traditional disinfection methods.
A pan-European collaboration led by NTUA
Led by the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), SafeTouch unites partners from across the EU with expertise in microfabrication, biomedical engineering, healthcare, sustainability, innovation, and communication. The project will run for 36 months and culminate in two real-world pilots – one in a hospital, and one in a senior care facility – where the iST prototypes will be tested in everyday use. Project partners include the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), serving as project coordinator; Advanced HealthTech for Cell Therapy (A4TEC), Asociacion Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria Biogipuzkoa (Hospital Universitario Donostia), Hellenic BioCluster (HBIO), Martel Innovate, the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology and LOMARTOV (LOM).
Martel’s role in SafeTouch
As the communication lead, Martel is responsible for developing and delivering the project’s dissemination and outreach strategy, managing the project’s visual identity, and ensuring that SafeTouch’s innovation story reaches the right stakeholders — from policymakers and healthcare leaders to the general public. In addition to leading the communication work package, Martel supports project management and stakeholder engagement, helping coordinate collaborative activities across the consortium and amplify the project’s impact at a European level.
Stay updated on the project’s developments on the SafeTouch website and follow #SafeTouchEU on social media for stories from the lab, the field, and the partners behind this innovation.
