Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NEP (Nanoscience Foundries and Fine Analysis - Europe|PILOT)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-03-01 bis 2022-08-31
NEP research infrastructure (RI) (www.nffa.eu) is fully operational and has performed its planned actions in full continuity with NFFA-Europe, avoiding most of the typical start-up procedures. The implementation of the new, greatly expanded, on-line catalogue was accomplished by adding the novel offered items in a renewed hierarchical structure of information, without black-out times of the single-entry point operation, therefore not affecting the TA service.
An initial call "zero" was immediately available to users of the previous NFFA-Europe grant who could not complete their research before the expiration of that grant. Reasons for not completion of the NFFA-Europe approved TA were mainly the COVID-19 reduction of mobility/access to some of the offered laboratories; the lack of neutron radiation due to unexpected delays in the operation of the MLZ reactor; individual user group's unavailability. Subsequent calls have been regularly scheduled with an initial peak of submissions (51 submitted proposals in Call 1) and then stabilization around the NFFA-Europe standard values (>30 proposals/call – 4 calls/year).
The science merit selection of users' proposals by ARP, after the feasibility assessment by TLNet, confirms a rate of success of about 63%.
A call for industrial partner of NEP was issued within six months of start as foreseen in the Grant Agreement and collected a high response with 20 applications by industry and SMEs. One industry in the laser production field, El.En (https://elengroup.com/) was selected and the amendment of the GA was filed. The large outcome of the call has prompted a reflection on how to capitalize on such broad interest and how to develop novel types of access co-created with the industrial partners and users. The fraction of successful proposals from industry, in the first period, is confirmed >10%.
A NFFA/NEP Summer School was organized during the first reporting period and was held in Braga in September 2022, with a qualified international participation.
The IDRIN design-while-operating programme is ongoing, as well as the FAIR-by-design technology development. The impact of these activities is already perceived at European and national level, as the NFFA-Europe/NEP model is inspirational for national (e.g. Italian NRRP) and European projects (INFR-SERV calls).
An initial call "zero" was immediately available to users of the previous NFFA-Europe grant who could not complete their research before the expiration of that grant. Reasons for not completion of the NFFA-Europe approved TA were mainly the COVID-19 reduction of mobility/access to some of the offered laboratories; the lack of neutron radiation due to unexpected delays in the operation of the MLZ reactor; individual user group's unavailability. Subsequent calls have been regularly scheduled with an initial peak of submissions (51 submitted proposals in Call 1) and then stabilization around the NFFA-Europe standard values (>30 proposals/call – 4 calls/year).
The science merit selection of users' proposals by ARP, after the feasibility assessment by TLNet, confirms a rate of success of about 63%.
A call for industrial partner of NEP was issued within six months of start as foreseen in the Grant Agreement and collected a high response with 20 applications by industry and SMEs. One industry in the laser production field, El.En (https://elengroup.com/) was selected and the amendment of the GA was filed. The large outcome of the call has prompted a reflection on how to capitalize on such broad interest and how to develop novel types of access co-created with the industrial partners and users. The fraction of successful proposals from industry, in the first period, is confirmed >10%.
A NFFA/NEP Summer School was organized during the first reporting period and was held in Braga in September 2022, with a qualified international participation.
The IDRIN design-while-operating programme is ongoing, as well as the FAIR-by-design technology development. The impact of these activities is already perceived at European and national level, as the NFFA-Europe/NEP model is inspirational for national (e.g. Italian NRRP) and European projects (INFR-SERV calls).
The NEP catalogue offers 200 methods and over 600 instruments operated by partner institutions (NEP beneficiaries) and Third Parties. The Single-Entry Point (SEP) (www.nffa.eu/new-application) gives access to the catalogue and is supported by the user guide (www.nffa.eu/apply/) covering all eligibility criteria and access procedures for academic and industrial proposals. The Technical Liaison Network (TLNet) assesses the feasibility of the proposals and assigns the most suitable access node or optimum combination of nodes. The independent Access Review Panel ranks the scientific merit. Those successful proposals are granted TA with travel and subsistence covered within limits, upon acceptance of the access rules and data management plan (general and specific-under implementation). Users and access providers compile a report on every access.
The TLNet ICT platform has been renewed and is now more efficient in sharing and bringing up to date information on all the technical aspects of user proposals, updating the catalogue of the SEP, monitoring the effective availability and booking of each instrument, and offering an e-forum for pre-access users-TLNet interaction. A preparatory work for the establishment of a User Office Network (UONet) with common rules and practices has started.
The JAs are coordinated by a JA-Axis coordination board that is dedicated to the enhancement of the synergies and complementary usage of the whole research infrastructure.
NFFA-Europe/NEP was represented at conferences and in regular meetings with the other H2020 PILOT projects (ATMO-ACCESS, OPTICON-ORP).
NFFA-Europe/NEP has dialogued on informal collaboration at several levels, and is now discussing contents for the new INFRA-SERV calls of HEU Work-Programme 2023-2024. The NFFA-Europe model has inspired a NRRP project in Italy.
The TLNet ICT platform has been renewed and is now more efficient in sharing and bringing up to date information on all the technical aspects of user proposals, updating the catalogue of the SEP, monitoring the effective availability and booking of each instrument, and offering an e-forum for pre-access users-TLNet interaction. A preparatory work for the establishment of a User Office Network (UONet) with common rules and practices has started.
The JAs are coordinated by a JA-Axis coordination board that is dedicated to the enhancement of the synergies and complementary usage of the whole research infrastructure.
NFFA-Europe/NEP was represented at conferences and in regular meetings with the other H2020 PILOT projects (ATMO-ACCESS, OPTICON-ORP).
NFFA-Europe/NEP has dialogued on informal collaboration at several levels, and is now discussing contents for the new INFRA-SERV calls of HEU Work-Programme 2023-2024. The NFFA-Europe model has inspired a NRRP project in Italy.
User research can expand, within NEP, on an unprecedented offer of methods and instruments. This is expected to enable progress beyond the state of the art in the users’ domains. On the RI side, the effort of designing-while-operating the IDRIN shall lead to interoperability well beyond the state of the art of research infrastructures. Likewise, the work on FAIR-by-design technology implementation and personalized Data Management Plan practice will maintain NFFA at the forefront of FAIR data automated production in a challenging field as nanoscience where metadata and data concern from sample synthesis to fine analysis, data analytics and computer simulations.
The MoU established for long term sustainability of NFFA, beyond the 2026 end of NEP, and the consequent elaboration of an European Research Infrastructure Service Association, sets again NFFA-Europe/NEP at the forefront of the RI evolution in the ERA.
All the above activities have promptly started in the First Period and will develop and mature solutions in the follow-up of the NEP programme.
The MoU established for long term sustainability of NFFA, beyond the 2026 end of NEP, and the consequent elaboration of an European Research Infrastructure Service Association, sets again NFFA-Europe/NEP at the forefront of the RI evolution in the ERA.
All the above activities have promptly started in the First Period and will develop and mature solutions in the follow-up of the NEP programme.