ULTRAFAST PHOTONIC PROCESSES & INTERACTIONS

Final Report Summary - UP-PI (ULTRAFAST PHOTONIC PROCESSES & INTERACTIONS)

This project involved researchers from Dublin City University, Ireland, the Optoelectronic Research Centre, United Kingdom, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India. This research programme exchange started on the 1st of January 2013 and finished on the 31st of December 2016.

The overarching goal of this project was inspired by the European Technology Platform ‘Photonics-21’ which defines Photonics Training and Education as one of the key pillars to sustain the growth in the vibrant and strategic field of photonics. We believe that this programme of exchange assisted in the building of these new research leaders with the required complementary skill to realise this exciting vision for Europe and India.
Our objectives were to:

1. Deliver a dynamic programme of scientific and engineering missions strongly focused on young researchers (longer term mission), but also encompassing experienced researchers (shorter term mission).
2. Ensure that visiting researchers are integrated into existing research activities at the host centre, and have full visiting researcher status with access to facilities and equipment on the same basis as local staff.
3. Manage a network of structured projects with defined deliverables and milestones.
4. Ensure research visitors are exposed to training opportunities, research seminars, summer schools and short courses/modules relevant to their research or professional development.
5. Deliver high impact outputs from the joint research activities. These will include;
5a. Establishment of a framework for future networked collaborations building on this programme
5b. Joint publications in high impact international journals
5c. Joint grant applications under H2020, and National European programmes.

We achieved these objectives as detailed in this summary. It is presented based on three categories: results, conclusions and socio-economic impacts.

1. Results:
Our main results can be listed according to three categories: Quality of the Exchange Programme, Synergy and complementarity between partners, and Implementation capacity of the objectives

1.a. Quality of the Exchange Programme

We aim to contribute positively and proactively to the training and the training quality of young researchers and experience researchers by establishing an EU-India research and education program designed to reinforce scientific and technological excellence in high speed and ultrafast photonic interactions and processes in systems from atomic ensembles to devices. The technology programme focused on the design of non-linear materials, and its characterization, the generation and applications in communication and biotechnology of short pulses in extreme ultra-violet and in telecom spectral range, and the use of these ultra-fast materials for short pulse measurements.

1.b. Synergy and complementarity between partners

The partners constituted a strong and well-motivated research infrastructure, covering the full range of core skills and training required for optical signal processing research, and indeed for the wider ultra-fast photonic processes and interactions area. The well-balanced distribution of these skills throughout the consortium, with each skill having two or more partners with core strengths in that area conferred to each individual task the possibilities of collaboration with at least one EU and one Indian partner. At an infrastructural level the consortium covered just about every state-of-the-art technique and facility conceivable for the fabrication and structural/ dynamic characterization of targets from simple atomic ensembles through materials to real devices.

1.c. Implementation capacity of the objectives

For the first two years of the project, all secondments were with IITM. The withdrawal of one of the Indian Institutes from the project hindered progress, since for half of the project all secondments relied on the capacity of the IITM. Because of the significant administrative and technical support needed to support and manage this programme, we needed a second Indian Institute (IITK) to join the consortium, in order and to increase its capacity to complete secondments. The synergy and complementary of the consortium was maintained and the objectives were reached.

2. Conclusions
Over the duration of the project, 12 ESRs graduated from DCU and IITM and IITK. This project has resulted into 21 peer-reviewed journals, 22 presentations in International conferences, and 1 patent; more than 58 exchanges corresponding to an overall amount of 110 months. All the tasks, deliverables and milestones have been achieved. These metrics demonstrate the quality of the training carried out during the project as well as the commitment of the partners to the smooth running of this project despite a chaotic start.
There were 7 objectives in WP1 and 5 objectives WP2 and all of them have been achieved.

3. Socio-economic impacts
On the negative side, India does not seem to engage with the EU to participate in H2020, as it did with FP7. On a National level, there is no Indo-Irish collaboration. This is a pity since our collaboration had to stop at the end of this project.
On the positive side, as mentioned in conclusions, there were 6 ESRs graduated during this project. One of them has received a Post-doctoral fellowship from the EU and joined DCU in 2015. There is 1 patent filed. We have also really appreciated the synergy and the collaboration between our laboratories and the opportunity to learn from each other.

Final Report Summary - UP-PI (ULTRAFAST PHOTONIC PROCESSES & INTERACTIONS)

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