DOCtoral training programme in Functional Advanced Materials: Towards a Better Future

Project Information

DOCFAM-PLUS

Grant agreement ID: 101081337

DOI

10.3030/101081337

EC signature date 11 October 2022

Start date 1 March 2023

End date 29 February 2028

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 2 620 800,00

Coordinated by

AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DOCFAM-PLUS (DOCtoral training programme in Functional Advanced Materials: Towards a Better Future)

Reporting period: 2023-03-01 to 2025-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

DOCFAM-PLUS (DOCtoral training programme in Functional Advanced Materials: Towards a Better Future) is a new excellent doctoral programme led by Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and coordinated through Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB) for the recruitment of 26 excellent doctoral researchers. ICMAB is one the 22 research centres in Spain awarded with the “Severo Ochoa” label of excellence for the development of “Smart Functional Materials for Social Grand Challenges” (FUNMAT, 2016-2020). ICMAB is located in the Bellaterra Campus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), the best University in Spain according to several international rankings (ARWU, CWUR), providing an excellent environment for the development of the doctoral programme. DOCFAM-PLUS builds up on the success and positive outcomes from the original DOC-FAM programme by providing a new dimension through highly interdisciplinary and intersectoral research while fulfilling all the principles of Open Science and maintaining the highest research quality standards. DOCFAM-PLUS goes one step further by strengthening the collaborative approach of DOC-FAM while enhancing the potential and future career perspectives of recruited fellows, consolidating the excellence and outstanding track-record of participating entities, and providing the ideal setting for prospective doctoral researchers in the programme’s research priorities.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project started on March 2023. The doctoral programme launched 2 calls in June 2023 and June 2024 respectively. In the first Call 12 doctoral fellowships were awarded, and in the second 14 fellows were awarded. A total of 26 fellows are part of DOCFAM-PLUS doctoral programme. The evaluation consisted of 5 steps. It was an open, transparent and merit based process, following the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researcher. Both calls were openly announced internationally, following the Communication Plan that targeted different groups. The strategy was focused on three main pillars, DOCFAM-PLUS website; infoday online; Press note, leaflet and flyer; Direct contact with target groups of interest. This was complemented with the compulsory Euraxess link plus some other dissemination sites, which have been useful to promote the call.
In terms of training, A Welcome day was organized for the fellows from both calls. DOCFAM-PLUS fellows enjoyed training organised by the partner organisations, including a high variety of weekly seminars, transversal skills workshops, annual meeting with the University Committee, yearly workshops, open access seminars... In addition, a Scientific Meeting of PhD students is orgnanised yearly by the DOCFAM-PLUS partners, in which 2024 editions had DOCFAM-PLUS fellows as organisers.
DOCFAM-PLUS also counts with different supervision arrengements that allowed to have a follow-up on the progression of the PhD: a Career Development Plan (updated yearly by the fellows), a Fellow Progress Report and a Supervisor Progress Report.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

DOCFAM-PLUS is a MSCA-COFUND Doctoral Programme that aimed to train 26 PhD fellows as the next-generation of scientists in the exciting field of Functional Advanced Materials, while at the same time offering a complete training experience to the recruited fellows. The designed training programme combined different types of activities that will enhance their research and personal skills, providing them with new career perspectives. All of the fellows carried on their individual projects in top research institutions, while being exposed to different environments throughout the duration of the project. The fellows were exposed to a multidisciplinary and intersectorial programme combining several research and training activities.
DOCFAM-PLUS has contributed to enhance Europe competitiveness in the field of advanced functional materials, increasing the critical mass in a demanding sector of our current society. The programme has brought a huge impact on the recruited fellows and on the beneficiary and the participating organizations on several levels:
- Creation of novel synergies and collaborations and enhancing those already established between all the Implementing Partners.
- Quality education: providing the fellows with appropriate working conditions, suitable guidance &training, and the possibility to develop a future independent research career.
- Enhanced competitiveness: by aligning our practices with the principles of this innovative doctoral training, and fulfilling the principles of the Charter & Code, the beneficiary and participating organizations have increased their profile as an excellence reference research centres in the field of Material Science.

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