Malta’s research thrives

Against all odds and in spite of our limitations, there is plenty of research being carried out in Malta, says Martina Eggert.

In theory, due to their size and insularity, small island states like Malta have particularly vulnerable economies. And yet, here we are.

By the same reasoning, there are some who say that due to our economies of scale, research in Malta should not exist. Wrong again.

From keyhole surgery tools and innovative water treatment units to finding the gene responsible for coeliac disease and new smart materials, Malta’s research community is thriving.

The Malta Council for Science and Technology represents two important funding mechanisms for local research – the National Research and Innovation Programme and European fund, 7th Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration.

The first stimulates collaboration and knowledge-transfer between industry and academia by funding local organisations. This scheme has funded 32 projects since 2004, totaling over €2.8 million.

MCST vice-chairman and CEO Nicholas Sammut said, “There are many good ideas for new development of products and services that could be of economic importance to Maltese industry. The very best are chosen for funding and we are starting to see very encouraging results. The culture of research and innovation is starting to grow in Malta too.”

The call for 2010, which has closed recently, will award a further €700,000.

“I was very satisfied to see the government has allocated 60 per cent more funds in the 2011 budget to the National Research and Innovation Programme administered by the council. This is a clear indication of the importance and concrete support being given to this sector by the present administration,” said council chairman Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando.

Being oversubscribed by a factor of 10 shows how hungry the local community is for additional funds.

This means there are many businesses willing to team up with academia to develop new ideas, new products and new services that would eventually help Malta’s industry grow and create more jobs.

In addition to supporting several postgraduate degrees and publications, this fund provides local researchers with a stepping stone to learning how to apply for and manage funds.

FP7 funds require detailed applications for which the overall budget is of over €50 billion. This fund supports collaboration between entities belonging to various member states, across almost all scientific disciplines. It’s good that we are looking at research as an investment and not just an unnecessary cost, but what exactly are these returns in practice?

A consortium made up of Sustech Consulting Ltd, TTZ-Bremerhaven, Island Group Hotels and the Department of Public Health was funded through the R&I Programme to build a prototype of a compact onsite wastewater recycling unit. Enabling up to 80 per cent reductions in water consumption, this unit turns sewage into perfectly safe drinking water.

The project was awarded the Report Terre 2009 award for being the most sustainable EU project and the International Energy Global award.

While looking into selling the product in regions with high water rates and sewage tax, particularly in the Mediterranean region, the team has also been approached by a company running shopping complexes across Europe.

The stumbling block remains the ‘yuck factor’, which is the preconceived impression that recycled wastewater remains ‘yucky’.

To offset this obstacle, the project team is selling the water, rather than the technology. Reduced installation costs, short-term break-even periods and a reduction in water and energy demand make this a success story which puts Malta on the map.

Another beneficiary is Ixaris Ltd which, together with the University’s Department of Computer Science, has developed techniques to handle online financial transactions with virtual credit cards, making it safer for people to use and, if desired, hide their identity.

“The complexity of such systems means the presence of errors or vulnerabilities cannot be ruled out – errors that can lead to financial loss from customers or the company itself,” said Gordon Pace from the Department of Computer Science.

For this reason, techniques have been developed to monitor the system safely while keeping performance at a high level. The team has been keeping busy deploying the tool for experimentation and generating interest from other local industrial partners.

More recently, an international conference on the subject was ­organised in Malta, attracting researchers from various international institutes, including

Projects and programmes

Participating in the R&I programme did not only allow the consortium to develop this new tool, but also provided the team with the experience and opportunity to become involved with the Norwegian Research Council and submissions of proposals to FP7 for a project worth €2 million.

If the words ‘gluten-free’ mean anything to you, this next example is sure to please. Coeliac disease sufferers will be well aware of the discomfort and pain caused by eating certain cereal grains such as wheat and barley. At present, the only treatment for coeliac disease is a strict gluten-free diet – no bread, pasta or pizza.

This type of disorder is usually caused by a large number of genes combined with environmental factors, making it difficult to isolate. Due to our small population size, relatively large families and a single hospital set-up, the University, armed with an R&I programme grant, has identified a new gene variant associated with the disease.

Identifying the genes that cause coeliac disease can enable pharmaceutical companies to develop new drug therapies. Christian Scerri from the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry said “the participation in the R&I programme was instrumental in proving how a small population can be ideal in pinpointing the genes responsible for multifactorial chronic disorders, such as diabetes, hypertension and ischaemic heart disease”.

The University has been awarded a structural fund grant of around €4.5 million to refurbish the lab in which this work is taking place, making it one of the best equipped laboratories in Europe in the field.

When the buzzwords of our time – ‘science and technology’ and ‘research and innovation’ – come to mind, many people think they materialise in faraway places overrun by technical centres and machines with unpronounceable names and the stereotypical nerdy people in white coats.

There is no need to stretch the imagination that far – just look around and you will be amazed at what our small but strong science and technology community is doing.

For more information, visit www.mcst.gov.mt.

Ms Eggert is executive science and technology officer, National Funding Unit, MCST.