Periodic Reporting for period 2 - NEP (Nanoscience Foundries and Fine Analysis - Europe|PILOT)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-09-01 bis 2024-02-29
NEP research infrastructure (RI) (www.nffa.eu) is regularly operating and has reached the 12th call for proposal (deadline June 3rd) that makes overall (including the previous grant NFFA-Europe) 26 calls for 888 proposals submitted in 7 years and 2700 laboratory sessions (8 hours) delivered to users from 63 countries. The continuously expanded on-line catalogue is a key service of the Technical Liaison Network (TLNet) that through the Single Entry Point, keeps informed the users community about the offer and actual availability of a given instrument.
The high frequency calls (4 times/year, unique feature of NEP in the landscape of analytical RIs) supports a regular pressure of user demands (>30 proposals/call). The only net loss of service is due to the lack of neutron spectroscopy facilities. This is due to the extremely long shutdown of the MLZ reactor and to the unfeasibly of access to alternative neutron sources in Europe (ILL, SIN-Q) well suited for nanomaterials. The updated expectations of restart of service of MLZ may impact the very last calls of NEP.
The science merit selection of users' proposals by ARP, after the feasibility assessment by TLNet, confirms a rate of success of about 63%.
The contractual call for new partners of NEP had a return of 23 applications received (10 SME and 13 RPO), from 18 different proposers.
A NFFA/NEP Summer School has been organized during the second reporting period and will be held in Heraklion at FORTH in July 2024, being devoted to FAIR data technology and ML/AI methods for research.
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). Proposals are in preparation for the OSCARS calls.
The high frequency calls (4 times/year, unique feature of NEP in the landscape of analytical RIs) supports a regular pressure of user demands (>30 proposals/call). The only net loss of service is due to the lack of neutron spectroscopy facilities. This is due to the extremely long shutdown of the MLZ reactor and to the unfeasibly of access to alternative neutron sources in Europe (ILL, SIN-Q) well suited for nanomaterials. The updated expectations of restart of service of MLZ may impact the very last calls of NEP.
The science merit selection of users' proposals by ARP, after the feasibility assessment by TLNet, confirms a rate of success of about 63%.
The contractual call for new partners of NEP had a return of 23 applications received (10 SME and 13 RPO), from 18 different proposers.
A NFFA/NEP Summer School has been organized during the second reporting period and will be held in Heraklion at FORTH in July 2024, being devoted to FAIR data technology and ML/AI methods for research.
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). Proposals are in preparation for the OSCARS 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.
Following the Call for new Providers, that was launched in March 2023, a new beneficiary, Aarhus Universitet, has been added, as well as three new third parties: Koral Technologies (TP of CNR); CCiTUB (TP of CSIC); NCSR Demokritos (TP of FORTH). These new access providers help the consortium to address the needs of additional capabilities and/or capacity that emerge in the frame of the project.
The new version of the TLNet ICT platform is very 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 first set of Virtual Access services are now available: MetaRepo, TriDAS, ML Services, Materials Cloud, all described and made accessible via the SEP, as it was foreseen by the GA.
The JA-Axis coordination board effectively enhances 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).
Following the Call for new Providers, that was launched in March 2023, a new beneficiary, Aarhus Universitet, has been added, as well as three new third parties: Koral Technologies (TP of CNR); CCiTUB (TP of CSIC); NCSR Demokritos (TP of FORTH). These new access providers help the consortium to address the needs of additional capabilities and/or capacity that emerge in the frame of the project.
The new version of the TLNet ICT platform is very 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 first set of Virtual Access services are now available: MetaRepo, TriDAS, ML Services, Materials Cloud, all described and made accessible via the SEP, as it was foreseen by the GA.
The JA-Axis coordination board effectively enhances 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).
User research expands using the unprecedented offer of methods and instruments of NEP, often in a highly integrated manner. The publication rate and highlights is satisfactory. The effort of designing-while-operating the IDRIN is refining the interoperability framework of NEP that is 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 continues and sets NFFA at the forefront of FAIR data automated production in the challenging field of nanoscience where metadata and data are needed from sample synthesis and growth, 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 active evaluation of the European Grouping (EGTC) model make again NFFA-Europe/NEP at the forefront of the efforts for the evolution of RIs in the ERA.
All the above activities have progressed in the Second Period, in line with goals and ambitions of the NEP programme.
The MoU established for long term sustainability of NFFA, beyond the 2026 end of NEP, and the active evaluation of the European Grouping (EGTC) model make again NFFA-Europe/NEP at the forefront of the efforts for the evolution of RIs in the ERA.
All the above activities have progressed in the Second Period, in line with goals and ambitions of the NEP programme.