Norway Meeting
Consortium Meeting, Vestfold Campus USN, June 2025
The second year of NerveRepack project concluded with a consortium meeting at USN Vestfold campus in Norway, on June 16–17, 2025, bringing together all partners to present recent developments, assess technical progress, and coordinate upcoming activities. The participants had the opportunity to visit the laboratories of Zimmer & Peacock and USN. These regular meetings are essential for ensuring the coherence of the interdisciplinary work and for aligning milestones across all work packages.
Here is the translation of the article published on USN website on this occasion:
International research project gathered at the Vestfold campus
The project aims to develop solutions that can provide amputee patients and individuals with paralysis new opportunities to regain functionality and sensation.
This week, researchers and collaborators from across Europe have gathered at Campus Vestfold for a two-day project meeting in the EU-funded research project NerveRepack. ”This meeting provides us with a unique opportunity to discuss details across disciplines and strengthens the collaboration among the various partners in the project. We are proud to host a project that can have a significant impact on patients' quality of life,” says Associate Professor Kristin Imenes, who leads one of the project’s work packages.
A new generation of prosthetics
The project aims to develop advanced, bidirectional implantable electrodes that connect the human nervous system to external prosthetics. These neural interfaces have the potential to provide individuals with arm amputations or leg paralysis the ability to regain motor and sensory functions.The result could be a new generation of prosthetics that are directly controlled by the patient's brain via the nervous system, thereby changing the way we support individuals with disabilities.
Physical meetings play a crucial role in a complex project like NerveRepack, where partners from various fields and countries collaborate on groundbreaking innovation. Through such gatherings, researchers, engineers, and medical experts can share new knowledge, evaluate research results, and plan the next phase of the project.
Technology that enhances quality of life
Loss of limbs or functionality can drastically reduce a person's mobility and independence. NerveRepack aims to develop solutions that can provide amputation patients and individuals with paralysis new opportunities to regain functionality and sensation. This could lead to a significant improvement in the quality of life for many.
The project is expected to have a broad impact – socially, economically, medically, and technologically. The results will contribute to advancements in, among other areas:
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Miniaturization of medical technology
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Wireless communication and power supply
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Development of new biocompatible materials
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Improved medical tools and methods
USN's contribution to groundbreaking research
USN plays an important role in the project, including the development of the electrodes that will connect to the nerve fibres. The university also leads the work package for the implantable electronics module, which will transmit signals between the body's nerve pathways and the prosthesis. This work is crucial to enable two-way communication between the nervous system and external devices. Vice-Rector Heidi Ormestad opened the project meeting by emphasizing the importance of the work: ”This project is not just about solving technological challenges. It is about creating opportunities for greater independence and better quality of life for people facing significnt challenges in their daily lives.”