The goal was to electrospin 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate - based biocompatible polymers and prepare submicron fibres (nanofibers) for biomedicinal applications. Syntheses of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (HEMA) and its copolymer with 2-ethoxyethyl methacrylate (EOEMA), and their characterization by viscometry and molecular weight are described. Their relation to electrospinning is discussed. Electrospinning of HEMA homopolymer from water-ethanol is successful for molecular weights 6.31 x 10(5) and 1.80 x 10(6) g/mol. Electrospinning of HEMA/EOEMA copolymers is feasible from ethanol. (c) Versita Warsaw and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. All rights reserved.