Periodic Reporting for period 1 - P4F (Physics For Future)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-09-01 al 2025-08-31
Physics for Future (P4F) is an attractive postdoctoral fellowship programme coordinated by the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (FZU). The programme is co-funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions COFUND under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation scheme. Its primary objective is to recruit 60 postdoctoral fellows to join FZU and the ELI Beamlines Facility through two open calls for proposals, using a transparent, fair, and merit-based selection process.
P4F aims to educate a new generation of physicists who can work closely with industry and are prepared to tackle future societal challenges. The programme focuses on three broadly defined research domains:
- Materials for Society
- Matter under Extreme Conditions
- Emerging Tools and Technologies
In addition to promoting excellence in scientific research, the programme offers transferable and soft skills training, interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration, and encourages integration of new technologies, such as 3D printing, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and advanced computing. By doing so, P4F aims to strengthen the European knowledge base, accelerate innovation, support the career development of future leaders in physics, and prepare them to address societal challenges such as sustainability and digital transformation.s
P4F aims to educate a new generation of physicists who can work closely with industry and are prepared to tackle future societal challenges. The programme focuses on three broadly defined research domains:
- Materials for Society
- Matter under Extreme Conditions
- Emerging Tools and Technologies
In addition to promoting excellence in scientific research, the programme offers transferable and soft skills training, interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration, and encourages integration of new technologies, such as 3D printing, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and advanced computing. By doing so, P4F aims to strengthen the European knowledge base, accelerate innovation, support the career development of future leaders in physics, and prepare them to address societal challenges such as sustainability and digital transformation.s
Recruitment and selection
The recruitment and selection process is based on a novel approach that minimizes the bias probability. In the first round of evaluation, a written application, all personal data, including gender, age, and current affiliation, were anonymized, and the proposals were evaluated by three external evaluators. In the second round, a 45-minute online interview, the identity of the candidate was revealed.
FZU and ELI Beamlines recruited 27 fellows representing 12 nationalities in the first call, which was open from 1 September 2023 till 10 November 2023.
Training and Career Development
Fellows receive hands-on scientific training and are supported by a supervision model involving a senior, a junior, and a secondment supervisor. Complementary training covers topics such as project management, entrepreneurship, leadership, or media content development. Each fellow is required to take part in an interdisciplinary or intersectoral secondment.
The fellows actively participate in popularization events, such as Science Fair, which is the largest science popularization event in Czechia, visited yearly by more than 50 thousand visitors, to present their research there and engage with the public.
Main Events
A Kick-off meeting was organized on 14 September 2023 at the FZU premises, which was attended by 130 participants, including representatives from the academic sphere and the industrial sector.
The P4F Colloquium was held on 27-29 May 2025. This event brought together fellows, researchers, and institutional partners for three days of scientific exchange, career insights, and collaboration opportunities.
The recruitment and selection process is based on a novel approach that minimizes the bias probability. In the first round of evaluation, a written application, all personal data, including gender, age, and current affiliation, were anonymized, and the proposals were evaluated by three external evaluators. In the second round, a 45-minute online interview, the identity of the candidate was revealed.
FZU and ELI Beamlines recruited 27 fellows representing 12 nationalities in the first call, which was open from 1 September 2023 till 10 November 2023.
Training and Career Development
Fellows receive hands-on scientific training and are supported by a supervision model involving a senior, a junior, and a secondment supervisor. Complementary training covers topics such as project management, entrepreneurship, leadership, or media content development. Each fellow is required to take part in an interdisciplinary or intersectoral secondment.
The fellows actively participate in popularization events, such as Science Fair, which is the largest science popularization event in Czechia, visited yearly by more than 50 thousand visitors, to present their research there and engage with the public.
Main Events
A Kick-off meeting was organized on 14 September 2023 at the FZU premises, which was attended by 130 participants, including representatives from the academic sphere and the industrial sector.
The P4F Colloquium was held on 27-29 May 2025. This event brought together fellows, researchers, and institutional partners for three days of scientific exchange, career insights, and collaboration opportunities.
Novel results across the three research domains described above include advances in supernova and neutron stars physics, studies of gravitational-wave signatures, or heavy ion collisions description at accelerators.
In the area of novel materials, significant progress was achieved in the areas of scintillators for ionising radiation detection, altermagnets or high strength structural steels.
Emerging technologies brought, e.g. the design and initial testing of newly developed SiC avalanche photodetectors. Several of these results are expected to bring notable socio-economic benefits and have a wider societal impact.
The anonymisation approach was presented through a poster named „Anonymisation: The Future is Unbiased” at the EARMA–INORMS Congress 2025 in Madrid. The poster was selected as the winning poster by the expert committee. The authors' discussion with many interested participants during the poster session may lead to more applications based on this approach.
In the area of novel materials, significant progress was achieved in the areas of scintillators for ionising radiation detection, altermagnets or high strength structural steels.
Emerging technologies brought, e.g. the design and initial testing of newly developed SiC avalanche photodetectors. Several of these results are expected to bring notable socio-economic benefits and have a wider societal impact.
The anonymisation approach was presented through a poster named „Anonymisation: The Future is Unbiased” at the EARMA–INORMS Congress 2025 in Madrid. The poster was selected as the winning poster by the expert committee. The authors' discussion with many interested participants during the poster session may lead to more applications based on this approach.