Forensic Science Communication: Why It’s Harder Than It Sounds
Earlier this month, ForMAT’s Communication & Dissemination Manager Alina Harbovska and Project Coordinator Ana Freire-Aradas attended the Projects to Policy Seminar in Brussels. The event brought together EU-funded security research projects, representatives from DG HOME, and the Research Executive Agency (REA) for two days of exchange on how research translates into real-world impact. One theme […]
ForMAT at EDNAP 2026: Presenting Forensic Epigenetics to Europe
In May 2026, the ForMAT project took its work to one of Europe’s most respected forensic genetics forums. David Ballard from King’s College London represented the consortium at the 63rd EDNAP annual meeting. The event took place in Palermo, Sicily, on 12 May 2026. Thirty-nine members attended. They shared studies, projects, and new perspectives in […]
Screening 13th at UMinho: when forensic science meets social justice
On 27 March 2026, the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Minho (ICS UMinho) hosted an Open Class. The goal was clear: to bring a documentary into an academic setting and connect the social realities of criminal justice with the scientific questions that ForMAT is working to answer. Researchers Rafaela Granja and Alessandra […]
From Vision to Impact: ForMAT at Europol’s first Horizon Europe projects meeting
On 7–8 April 2026, ForMAT attended a landmark event in The Hague. The project develops advanced DNA methylation toolsets for forensic science under the Horizon Europe programme. Europol’s Innovation Lab organised From Vision to Impact for Horizon Europe projects. It brought together EU-funded security research projects and law enforcement practitioners under one roof for the […]
ForSpEC sperm age estimation: a new tool for forensic investigations
This post is an English-language overview of an article originally published in French by Police-Scientifique.com on 18 March 2026. ForSpEC is one of the tools developed within the ForMAT project. When investigators find DNA at a crime scene but have no suspect to match it to, traditional DNA profiling hits a wall. It can confirm […]
The ForMAT project officially launches in Santiago de Compostela
We are excited to announce the official launch of the ForMAT project, following a successful kick-off meeting in the historic city of Santiago de Compostela. This marks the beginning of an ambitious journey to revolutionize forensic sciences across Europe. On October 8th and 9th, 2025, the ForMAT project consortium came together for the first time. […]
ForMAT in the spotlight: forensic tools featured on Portuguese TV
We are excited to share that the ForMAT project was recently featured on Portuguese television. The segment highlighted how our research is set to transform forensic investigations across Europe. Dr. Catarina Xavier, from our partner institution i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, gave viewers an exciting look at the new capabilities ForMAT […]
ForSpEC: Advancing forensic intelligence through the sperm epigenetic clock
The ForMAT project is excited to announce a significant scientific breakthrough: the development of ForSpEC (Forensic Sperm Epigenetic Clock). This innovative tool offers forensic experts a highly accurate method for analyzing biological evidence, specifically focusing on age estimation. While DNA profiling has long been the go-to method for identification, estimating the age of a biological […]