Periodic Reporting for period 2 - FP-RESOMUS (Fellowship Program of the NCCR MUST (National Competence Center for Research in MolecularUltrafast Science and Technology) and the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV)
Reporting period: 2021-04-01 to 2024-03-31
FP-RESOMUS was a Fellowship Program of the Swiss research network NCCR MUST (National Center of Competence in Research: Molecular Ultrafast Science and Technology) and the German Cluster of Excellence RESOLV (Ruhr Explores Solvation). FP-RESOMUS has funded 46 fellowships for postdoctoral students employed in NCCR MUST or the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV. The fellowship program was integrated in the two national research networks, which brought together over 70 research groups covering the fields of chemistry, physics, material sciences, engineering, and biology to solve interdisciplinary scientific questions on ultrafast processes and solvation using the latest available technology and theoretical insights. The research groups in RESOLV and the NCCR MUST (have) operate(d) at the frontiers of what is technically possible, in large parts complementary in focusing on fundamental and applied research. We aimed for a rapid transfer of research findings into innovative technologies: energy and data conversion and storage, development of smart sensors, understanding and improving catalysis and photovoltaics, novel laser technology, spectroscopy and simulation methods, which find applications in industry and research. The European Union supported the fellowship program with 3.54 million euros under the Horizon 2020 program as a Marie-Skłodowska-Curie COFUND Action (MSCA), Grant Agreement No 801459. It ran from April 2019 to March 2024.
Building on the existing cooperation between the two networks, the FP-RESOMUS has attracted postdoctoral fellows from European countries (18), Asia (21), the Americas (5), Africa (1), and Australasia (1), with 35 successful male and 11 female (24%) applicants, which is in line with the gender ratio in both networks, which is higher than typical for the research fields, and - in our view - has helped to drive forward the gender equality within the scientific society.
It has been our vision that novel technologies, advanced modeling techniques, and the spirit of our thriving networks create an ideal environment for high-level postdoctoral research projects. The integrated professional training was composed of several key elements. The prime focus is on individual research training with supervision. Secondment of fellows within the FP-RESOMUS network was encouraged, but due to the specific nature of the research projects not implemented. Fellows were offered training in transferable skills, complemented by opportunities to apply these newly acquired skills. This approach was designed to benefit the career development of each fellow, as well as the research groups and the scientific field as a whole. Our program has provided Europe with a new generation of researchers in ultrafast and solvation sciences and has strengthened the research of the ERA.
Building on the existing cooperation between the two networks, the FP-RESOMUS has attracted postdoctoral fellows from European countries (18), Asia (21), the Americas (5), Africa (1), and Australasia (1), with 35 successful male and 11 female (24%) applicants, which is in line with the gender ratio in both networks, which is higher than typical for the research fields, and - in our view - has helped to drive forward the gender equality within the scientific society.
It has been our vision that novel technologies, advanced modeling techniques, and the spirit of our thriving networks create an ideal environment for high-level postdoctoral research projects. The integrated professional training was composed of several key elements. The prime focus is on individual research training with supervision. Secondment of fellows within the FP-RESOMUS network was encouraged, but due to the specific nature of the research projects not implemented. Fellows were offered training in transferable skills, complemented by opportunities to apply these newly acquired skills. This approach was designed to benefit the career development of each fellow, as well as the research groups and the scientific field as a whole. Our program has provided Europe with a new generation of researchers in ultrafast and solvation sciences and has strengthened the research of the ERA.
In the 6 months leading up to the official start of the project on April 1, 2019, the steering committee was installed, the project office - coordinated between the NCCR MUST and RESOLV offices - was established, the financial management by the ETH Zurich financial administration was set up, and the FP-RESOMUS website with forms and questionnaires was developed. With this in place, the FP-RESOMUS office started the execution and coordination of the program. In the period up to March 31, 2021, three Calls for Applications with deadlines 28.2.2019 31.1.2020 and 30.11.2020 were announced on the FP-RESOMUS website and using a diverse range of online channels as well as in international/national events. Women were especially encouraged to apply. The website contained detailed information on how to apply and included a form to check if candidates meet the eligibility criteria of the MSCA-funding and our own criteria (now off-line).
In the three calls, 89, 45 and 98 potential candidates from 46 different countries applied, about 90% of which were eligible. These candidates subsequently - or had before - contacted a potential host PI with whom the research proposal was developed. The reviewing and selection process was organized as described on the website, and in the three calls, 14, 16 and 17 candidates were admitted to the program: in total 47 fellowships were allocated to candidates from 20 different countries. One fellow was not able to start the project for personal reasons. Three of the 14 fellows appointed after Call 1, one in Call 2, and four in Call 3, ended their fellowships early because they accepted new positions as Assistant Professor, tenured scientist, or postdoc in other research groups. The available fellowship months were redistributed amongst the other fellows.
By the end of March 2024, the fellows published 107 open-access, peer-reviewed papers and 1 book chapter, which acknowledge financial support by the FP-RESOMUS Fellowship Program. We organised 12 conferences, mainly aimed at the NCCR MUST and RESOLV networks and associated research groups.
All fellows were actively encouraged to participate in transferable skills workshops offered by the networks and the participating institutes, and typically reported 2-3 such activities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many workshops between March 2020 and March 2022 were online. This also reduced the number of available places: the offered workshops are often booked out within a few days after publication. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic most fellows could not participate in face-to-face scientific conferences or workshops, however a limited number of online meetings were attended. The travel restrictions during the pandemic have limited the possibilities of secondments, but at least, depending on the project, about 1/3 of the fellows worked with equipment in other laboratories or research institutes (mainly beamtime).
In the three calls, 89, 45 and 98 potential candidates from 46 different countries applied, about 90% of which were eligible. These candidates subsequently - or had before - contacted a potential host PI with whom the research proposal was developed. The reviewing and selection process was organized as described on the website, and in the three calls, 14, 16 and 17 candidates were admitted to the program: in total 47 fellowships were allocated to candidates from 20 different countries. One fellow was not able to start the project for personal reasons. Three of the 14 fellows appointed after Call 1, one in Call 2, and four in Call 3, ended their fellowships early because they accepted new positions as Assistant Professor, tenured scientist, or postdoc in other research groups. The available fellowship months were redistributed amongst the other fellows.
By the end of March 2024, the fellows published 107 open-access, peer-reviewed papers and 1 book chapter, which acknowledge financial support by the FP-RESOMUS Fellowship Program. We organised 12 conferences, mainly aimed at the NCCR MUST and RESOLV networks and associated research groups.
All fellows were actively encouraged to participate in transferable skills workshops offered by the networks and the participating institutes, and typically reported 2-3 such activities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many workshops between March 2020 and March 2022 were online. This also reduced the number of available places: the offered workshops are often booked out within a few days after publication. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic most fellows could not participate in face-to-face scientific conferences or workshops, however a limited number of online meetings were attended. The travel restrictions during the pandemic have limited the possibilities of secondments, but at least, depending on the project, about 1/3 of the fellows worked with equipment in other laboratories or research institutes (mainly beamtime).
Both RESOLV and NCCR MUST operate at the frontiers of what is technically possible, in focusing on fundamental and applied research on ultrafast processes and solvation. By definition practically all of the research in our networks goes beyond the current state of the art. The combination of theoretical and experimental methods allows a better understanding of complex reactions and systems. It is expected that the project results will initiate innovative developments in a wide range of socio-economic areas, such as for example sustainability in energy supply or in drug design. However commercial applications typically arise on a longer timeframe from equipment or algorithms developed to enable ambitious research projects. In our experience, these applications – and the resulting socio-economic impact - are often surprising and might also impact different fields than expected. Currently (May 2024), the FP-RESOMUS fellows have published 107 research papers and 1 book chapter that acknowledge the contribution of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 801459.