Periodic Report Summary - NANOHOST (Carbon nanohorn-based hybrid materials for energy conversion; reinforcing and expanding the research potential of carbon-nanostructures laboratory...) The scope of NANOHOST project is the strengthening of the research capacity and further development of the carbon-nanostructures lab (CNSLab) at the Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute (TPCI) at the National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF) in Athens, Greece. For the second reporting period (01/02/2009 - 31/01/2010), this has been accomplished by: (i) Recruitment of experienced researchers, (ii) Exchange of know-how and experience, (iii) Acquisition/upgrade of research equipments, and (iv) Strengthening of the status of CNSLab, nationally and internationally, by means of (a) a website operation (see http://www.nanohost.gr online), (b) publications, and (c) organisation of the 'International Conference on Carbon Nanostructured Materials - Cnano'09' in Santorini island (4-8 October, 2009) as well as other dissemination and promotional activities, such as participation in international conferences, popularization activities and public lectures.The coordinator has primary responsibility for the technical, financial and administrative management on a day-to-day basis. He set-up the Steering Committee (SC), composed by the senior researchers of the team, chaired by the coordinator and meet twice a year and the Project Monitoring Committee (PMC), composed by the senior researchers of the team as well as the experienced researchers and meet twice a month, in order to efficiently coordinate and manage the project's activities.The up-to-date implementation of NANOHOST has resulted in a better integration of the CNSLab team in the European research area (ERA) by the formation of new scientific collaborations with other prestigious groups but also on the enhancement of already established collaborating schemes. The interdisciplinary nature of the project calls itself for networking and collaborations. Moreover, NANOHOST contributes to the development and integration in the fields of nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and new production technologies and energy. In addition it contributes to the solution of the main problems identified towards ERA such as: i) reduction of fragmentation by appointing outstanding transnational scientists of different expertise and ii) promotion of the access of the European scientific community to a complete set of tools for the affordable development of knowledge based on nanostructured hybrid materials, similar to those that already exist in the United States and Japan. The new experienced researchers appointed in NANOHOST have benefited greatly both from the point of view of a unique interdisciplinary scientific training and experience, which includes introduction to a broad range of chemical and physical ideas and techniques, and from exposure to a variety of different areas of applications. The team members also have had the opportunity to collaborate with leading scientists from different areas and to meet and present their work and results to many others at international conferences. This inevitably expands their range of academic contacts and substantially improves their job prospects within the academic sector. The variety of skills that they have developed working on NANOHOST, including computational, project management and communication, and the wide range of applications they are exposed to, is also valuable to those seeking jobs outside academia.It is expected as a final result of NANOHOST that the research capacity and further development of CNSLab will be greatly strengthened by: i) promoting links with leading laboratories in Europe, ii) producing new science and technology and iii) developing research infrastructure of importance to the research centre and the region in general.
