Final Report Summary - MULTIFLOW (MULTI-SCALE COMPLEX FLUID FLOWS and INTERFACIAL PHENOMENA)
The Initial Training Network "Multiscale Complex Fluid Flows and Interfacial Phenomena" (MULTIFLOW, 2009-2012) had the primary goal to advance our understanding of interfacial phenomena in multiphase complex fluid dynamics, e.g. film flows, spreading and dewetting of (complex) liquids including (nano)suspensions, polymer solutions, liquid crystals, colloids and biofluids. The field offers a large number of serious challenges at the crossroad of mathematics, physics, chemistry and engineering that are related to on the one hand to fundamental questions of the behaviour of soft matter from small to large scales and on the other hand to a large number of emerging applications. Future scientific advances in the related core subjects shall were fostered by the formation of a strong pool of Young Scientists who will become future experts in the fields. The programme also improved interactions amongst experimentalists and theoreticians by means of common projects, training activities and the development of strategies for future research. One may say that the network has delivered all of its deliverables and has contributed in many ways to the development of the field of interfacial flows. We emphasize that the primary aim of the MULTIFLOW network was to bring together researchers working on interfacial phenomena in multiphase complex fluid dynamics and to tackle the serious challenges this interdisciplinary field poses. A proof of the contribution of the network to the subjects mentioned above is that up to the end of the network duration 318 publications were already published or submitted.
The network had started with an early kick-off meeting (mid-January 2009 at Imperial College London) were basic issues regarding the management of the training and research programme were decided. The meeting was important for the early start of several of the planned scientific collaborations within the remit of MULTIFLOW as only some of the nodes had collaborated before. All collaborations have proven to be rather successful as during the four years of MULTIFLOW more than eighty meetings between different nodes have taken place accompanied by regular contacts by other means. At these meetings we addressed scientific issues as well as administrative, recruitment-related, legal and financial issues. During the first two years of the network there had been a number of delays in recruitment that have, however, not affected the overall advance of MULTIFLOW.
As a result of the collaborative work the MULTIFLOW network has produced a considerable amount of high profile science indicated by the publication of papers: about three hundred and twenty published or accepted papers till end of 2012, of which nearly fifty five are joint work of different nodes; and many contributions to workshops and conferences in- and most importantly outside the network. We have used a number of different means to disseminate our research outcomes including (i) publications in leading international journals including Physical Review Letters, Physics of Fluids and The Journal of Fluid Mechanics; (ii) invited and contributed MULTIFLOW presentations in international meetings (up to end of 2012 far more than 400 presentations).
The network involves industrial partners on all levels that were involved in all network meetings/events; Full partners organised five Short Instructional Courses and were involved in several scientific collaborations. The associated partners were involved in network events, were members of the Supervisory Board, and took part in several of the smaller network meetings. There were many contacts with other industries. For instance, at a summer school in El Escorial in Summer 2010 we had an industrial afternoon and complementary sessions on Pathways in Science - one focusing on academia, and one on industry; there was also an Industrial session at the mid-term conference in Brussels November 2010; and in 2011 ASML organised a Summer School ``Physics in Industry'' in Velthoven with more of fifty percent of the participants coming from MULTIFLOW.
All MULTIFLOW-funded Early Stage Researchers (ESR) and Experienced Researchers (ER) have attended and, in fact, been involved in the shaping of a number of innovative and exciting summer schools, workshops, and further training sessions, including many MULTIFLOW short instructional courses, complementary skills courses and four Advanced Schools (Sep. 2009, Paris; June 2010, El Escorial; Apr 2011, Haifa; Sep 2011 Gottingen; July 2012 Volos). Other highlights were the two MULTIFLOW International Conferences in Brussels (Nov 2010) and in Dresden (Oct 2012) where many of the ESR/ER presented their results.
The MULTIFLOW network has strongly advanced towards it's central scientific aims, i.e. the development and practical application of innovative low-dimensional and / or coarse-grained models that bridge the different scales, i.e. models with reduced sets of variables and / or dimensions, that are capable to describe interdependent interfacial phenomena on disparate time and length scales. For this purpose, the network has adopted a global synergistic approach, based on a combination of high level of expertise in engineering, physics, nonlinear science and applied mathematics involving a balanced combination of theory, computations, experiments and applications. Our findings help to further develop the understanding and control of complex interfacial flows that are relevant in nano-, micro- and macro- scale industrial applications and experiments. Through the ambitious research plan followed by the network we have built a highly inter- and supra-disciplinary forum, where young scientists are taught scientific and technological innovation through cutting-edge research. This forum was available for the ER and ESR employed by the network and also to other young researchers working at the network nodes or coming from other institutions. The incorporation of industrial partners on all levels advances the transfer of research results into technological advances.
We expect that many of the collaborations keep flourishing after the MULTIFLOW formally ended in December 2012, and that new projects emerge that further advance our knowledge and control of the behaviour of complex fluids.
To conclude, without doubt the four years of MULTIFLOW were quite exciting, challenging and successful. We obtained significant results that open new avenues of enquiry and are being translated into technological advances and innovation. We are very optimistic that through our efforts we will be able to contribute to further advances in the field and we look forward to the scientific challenges ahead.
The public website of the network is http://www.multiflow-itn.eu(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie).