Periodic Reporting for period 1 - COLOSSE (Central European Platform for Plasma-Enabled Surface Engineering)
Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2025-06-30
COLOSSE connects Czech and Slovak research facilities in the area of plasma-enabled surface engineering at Masaryk
University, Comenius University, and University of West Bohemia. The three research centres of COLOSSE have been
supported by ERDF investment in several periods since 2010. They have been shaping and supporting their regional
ecosystems over a decade, creating networks of interactions that facilitate knowledge transfer and exploitation of surface
engineering technologies. They have also developed international connections – which, however, have led only to
isolated cases of involvement in international R&I projects.
The goal of COLOSSE is to increase the participation of Czech and Slovak plasma-enabled surface engineering R&I
centres in Horizon Europe and future EU Framework Programmes for R&I. Thus, we will achieve upstream synergy
of ERDF funding with the Horizon Europe.
The goal will be achieved through 4 specific objectives:
1. Strengthen the connections of COLOSSE centres to world-leading R&I centres.
2. Build conditions that will enable internationalization of human resources.
3. Develop skill-set that enables interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration and facilitates creativity.
4. Enable sustainability of the COLOSSE partnership through synergic use ERDF and HE/FP resources.
The COLOSSE project will significantly boost the impact of ERDF investments into plasma technologies in the academic
sector of Czechia and Slovakia. With joint forces, we will be able to capitalize on our scientific and technological
synergies and increase the complexity and added value of our research outputs. With COLOSSE, we will reach out
beyond our established collaborative networks in the local, regional, and national R&I ecosystems. We believe that the
talent, creativity, skills, and technologies that we harbour in the COLOSSE centres can be a significant aid to increasing
competitiveness of European industry and academia.
University, Comenius University, and University of West Bohemia. The three research centres of COLOSSE have been
supported by ERDF investment in several periods since 2010. They have been shaping and supporting their regional
ecosystems over a decade, creating networks of interactions that facilitate knowledge transfer and exploitation of surface
engineering technologies. They have also developed international connections – which, however, have led only to
isolated cases of involvement in international R&I projects.
The goal of COLOSSE is to increase the participation of Czech and Slovak plasma-enabled surface engineering R&I
centres in Horizon Europe and future EU Framework Programmes for R&I. Thus, we will achieve upstream synergy
of ERDF funding with the Horizon Europe.
The goal will be achieved through 4 specific objectives:
1. Strengthen the connections of COLOSSE centres to world-leading R&I centres.
2. Build conditions that will enable internationalization of human resources.
3. Develop skill-set that enables interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration and facilitates creativity.
4. Enable sustainability of the COLOSSE partnership through synergic use ERDF and HE/FP resources.
The COLOSSE project will significantly boost the impact of ERDF investments into plasma technologies in the academic
sector of Czechia and Slovakia. With joint forces, we will be able to capitalize on our scientific and technological
synergies and increase the complexity and added value of our research outputs. With COLOSSE, we will reach out
beyond our established collaborative networks in the local, regional, and national R&I ecosystems. We believe that the
talent, creativity, skills, and technologies that we harbour in the COLOSSE centres can be a significant aid to increasing
competitiveness of European industry and academia.
During the first months of the project, we focused primarily on creating the COLOSSE Human Resources Strategy. It has two main sections - the Recruitment and Onboarding Strategy and the Training Strategy. To provide a practical testing ground, we opened six new positions of postdoctoral researchers with a requirement of international mobility. We have run a joint recruitment in line with the OTM-R best practice identified in the HR Strategy. Also, the first training was organized based on a training needs questionnaire survey.
Next, we aimed at creating Internationalization strategy. Visits to introduce the opportunities for collaboration and discuss mutual R&I priorities with counterparts at the leading institutions (Kiel University (DE), Linkoping University, Uppsala University (SE), Ghent University, Mons University (BE), Leoben (AT), RWTH Aachen (DE)) were organized. It also resulted in the plan of young researchers´ secondments.
The preparation of the Technology Offer followed to highlight the possibilities of translating research into industrial applications and opened up avenues for collaborative R&D. The project established direct contact through visits or online presentations with companies in various sectors - surface engineering, biomedical, optics, and electronics - inviting them to contribute to project development.
To develop the competences needed to prepare winning proposals, three training sessions focusing on grant-writing skills were held. These sessions covered the areas of proposal writing; identifying and capitalising on funding opportunities; and mastering the MSCA-PF application.
Next, we aimed at creating Internationalization strategy. Visits to introduce the opportunities for collaboration and discuss mutual R&I priorities with counterparts at the leading institutions (Kiel University (DE), Linkoping University, Uppsala University (SE), Ghent University, Mons University (BE), Leoben (AT), RWTH Aachen (DE)) were organized. It also resulted in the plan of young researchers´ secondments.
The preparation of the Technology Offer followed to highlight the possibilities of translating research into industrial applications and opened up avenues for collaborative R&D. The project established direct contact through visits or online presentations with companies in various sectors - surface engineering, biomedical, optics, and electronics - inviting them to contribute to project development.
To develop the competences needed to prepare winning proposals, three training sessions focusing on grant-writing skills were held. These sessions covered the areas of proposal writing; identifying and capitalising on funding opportunities; and mastering the MSCA-PF application.
During the first reporting period, the COLOSSE consortium launched several impactful activities that will be further developed in the next phases of the project. These include researcher exchanges and joint publications that foster collaboration across Czech, Slovak, and international institutions. The international recruitment of six postdoctoral researcher that has already inspired some partners to adopt a similar approach for PhD positions to reverse brain drain and to create a more competitive and resilient research and innovation environment in Central Europe, both in the medium and long term. And the promotion of joint Technology offer to stimulate contract research, joint development projects, and long-term industrial partnerships.