How can research organisations in Widening countries turn scientific potential into long-term international success? The story of FunGlass - Centre for Functional and Surface Functionalized Glass in Slovakia - offers a strong example of how targeted support, strategic collaboration and consistent investment in research capacity can create lasting impact.

FunGlass has become an inspiring example of how a research centre can strengthen its position in the European Research Area by combining scientific excellence with international cooperation. Its work focuses on advanced glass-based materials with applications in areas such as healthcare, industry, energy and environmental protection. By developing new materials and technologies, FunGlass shows how research rooted in a specific field can contribute to broader societal and economic challenges.

This video is part of the widerAdvance Facility’s Widening Inspiration series, which highlights examples of research ambition, capacity building and successful knowledge valorisation across Widening countries and regions. While FunGlass has not yet used the services of the widerAdvance Facility, its experience reflects many of the values and goals that stand behind our work: helping excellent research teams move further towards impact, stronger visibility, international partnerships and real-world uptake of research results.

FunGlass also played an important role during our Mutual Learning event in Prague in February 2026, where representatives of the centre joined the widerAdvance community to share their experience and success story. The event created space for open exchange between research teams, research managers and support organisations, allowing participants to learn directly from concrete examples of progress achieved in Widening contexts.

Their contribution to the Mutual Learning session was especially valuable because it showed what long-term development can look like in practice: building research capacity, attracting international partners, investing in infrastructure, and creating conditions for excellent science to grow. For the widerAdvance Facility community, such examples are more than individual success stories. They are a source of practical inspiration for other organisations that are working to increase the visibility, uptake and impact of their research.

The FunGlass story reminds us that widening participation in European research is not only about access to funding. It is also about building confidence, networks, skills and institutional capacity. It is about making sure that excellent ideas from Widening countries and regions have the right conditions to develop, connect with relevant stakeholders and contribute to European innovation ecosystems.

Through the widerAdvance Facility, we support research teams and research managers in taking the next steps in dissemination, exploitation and impact development. Stories such as FunGlass show why this matters: because strong research capacity, when combined with the right partnerships and valorisation mindset, can generate benefits far beyond a single project.

Watch the video to learn more about FunGlass and discover how research excellence from a Widening country can grow into a powerful example of European collaboration and impact.