The IK4 Alliance, made up of the Basque technology centres CEIT, CIDETEC, GAIKER, IDEKO, IKERLAN, TEKNIKER and VICOMTech, with the aim of contributing to strengthening the innovative and competitive capability of companies, is leading three projects in the European Communities Seventh Framework Programme that situate some of their applications in the biosciences field and, more specifically, within the sphere of human health. To be precise, the projects are LABONFOIL, NANOTHER and POCO.

The LABONFOIL Project is based on the development of a component called SmartBioPhone: an instrument that incorporates a laboratory-on-a-chip into a mobile phone for various fields of diagnosis, such as healthcare (evolution of colorectal cancer), environment (progress of climate change), food (typing of food pathogens) and road safety. This project has a budget of 7.1 million euros and counts on the participation of 15 partners from 9 different countries. The Basque participants also include the Microtechnologies Cooperative Research Centre, CIC microGUNE and the Basque Foundation for Health Innovation and Research, BIOEF.

Meanwhile, the purpose of the NANOTHER project is to synthesise different polymeric and magnetic nanoparticles capable of acting as vehicles for the cancer diagnosis and treatment. NANOTHER is backed by over 8 million euros of EU funding and can count on the participation of 8 partners, including two Basque partners: the Biosciences Cooperative Research Centre, CIC bioGUNE and the company Pharmakine.

Finally, the POCO project aims to obtain composite materials with carbon nanotubes that have special properties, for application in sectors like biomedicine, automotive, aeronautics, construction and wind energy. The project groups together 17 bodies from nine different countries, including the University of the Basque Country.