The LightBone technology, developed under the direction of prof. Miroslawa El Fray in the Department of Polymer and Biomaterials Science at the Faculty of Chemical Technology and Engineering ZUT, won the first place in the Idea Challenge competition at the prestigious Carpathian Startup Fest 2026 – the largest start-up conference in Poland.
The final took place on 17–18 June, 2026 in ZEN.COM Expo – Exhibition and Conference Center in Jasionka near Rzeszow. ZUT was represented by Konrad Frontczak (Business Leader) and Paweł Żebrowski (Expert on Technology Transfer). In total they defeated 174 applications from all around Poland.
What is LightBone?
The LightBone technology is a modern, injectable biomaterial for broken bones treatment – first of all wrist or ankle fractures.The material hardens in response to two factors: the UV light and the body temperature, which allows a doctor to precisely control the process of adapting the material to an injury site. It is bioactive and subject to gradual biodegradation, giving way to the developing bone tissue. The procedure is far less intrusive than traditional surgery methods, it shortens the hospitalization time and reduces the risk of complications.The technology has also potential for dual use application.
Behind this breakthrough there are the years of consistent research, financed from National Science Centre resources, including OPUS 25 project. They allowed to create a prototype ready for in vivo tests conducted together with the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin.
The concept of a modern, injectable biomaterial become the basis for the application to the prestigious PRIME programme (Science Commercialisation Support) by the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) financed by the European Funds for a Modern Economy Programme (FENG) – where the concept of commercialization, the market strategy and the implementation plan were all evaluated positively in all criteria. The partner of the programme is a British consulting institution Oxentia. The patent application was submitted to the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland (UPRP) in September 2025.
The victory in Idea Challenge Carpathian Startup Fest confirms that science done in Szczecin can change medicine – even on a global scale. Congratulations to Prof. Miroslawa El Fray, Konrad Frontczak, Paweł Żebrowski and the whole LightBone team!
More about the technology: innowacje.zut.edu.pl
