The global glass community received excellent news of a €25 million investment in glass research to establish the new Centre for Functional and Surface-Functionalized Glasses (FunGLASS) in Trencín, Slovakia. The Centre includes partner institutions in Germany, Spain, and Italy.

The establishment of this European centre boosts the momentum and importance of glass research on a global scale. The purpose of the Centre is to conduct cutting edge research on glasses with special functional properties, as well as investigate novel strategies for functionalizing conventional glasses. The aim is to modify properties and add new functionalities to expand the range of applications in the optical, energy, structural, and biomedical sectors.