The Baltic Sea Network is a multidisciplinary research project which will explore new biomedical applications for nanomaterials, for example in cancer treatment, for antimicrobial purposes, as bio-sensors or as a contrast agent for medical diagnostics. Participating universities and researchers hope that by promoting a free exchange of research and ideas, for example by making laboratories and facilities accessible to other project partners, they will encourage new research findings to the benefit of all participants. The project's ultimate goal, however, is to establish a new research platform focused on developing hybrid nanomaterials for biomaterial applications.

Researchers will focus on combining and testing nano-structures to develop new hybrid nanomaterials. Hybrid materials are incredibly small composites - no larger than a millionth of a millimetre - which consist of two different types of compounds: organic compounds (e.g. carbon or oxygen) and inorganic compounds (e.g. gold or metals). The nano particles themselves are held together and stabilised by repetitively branched molecules (dendrimers), which are also used to synthesise self-assembled hybrid systems with defined nanostructures (spherical structures and nanowires). Additionally, researchers will analyse a variety of other aspects of hybrid nanomaterials, including conductivity and surface properties, in order to discover new potential applications.

Participating institutions are planning to use new findings as a springboard for future projects and grants, for example through the European Commission's EU Horizon 2020 initiative or Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions research fellowships, or the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) framework.