Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FP-RESOMUS (Fellowship Program of the NCCR MUST (National Competence Center for Research in MolecularUltrafast Science and Technology) and the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV)
Berichtszeitraum: 2019-04-01 bis 2021-03-31
FP-RESOMUS is 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 funds up to 50 fellowships for postdoctoral students employed in NCCR MUST or the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV. The fellowship program is integrated in the two national research networks, bringing 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. Both RESOLV and the NCCR MUST operate at the frontiers of what is technically possible, in large parts complementary in focusing on fundamental and applied research. We seek 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 supports 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 runs from April 2019 to September 2023.
Building on the existing cooperation between the two networks, the FP-RESOMUS is well placed to attract postdoctoral fellows from all around the world. It is 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 is composed of several key elements. The prime focus is on individual research training with supervision. Secondment of fellows within the FP-RESOMUS network is encouraged. Fellows are offered training in transferable skills, complemented by opportunities to apply these newly acquired skills. This approach is designed to benefit the career development of each fellow, as well as the research groups and the scientific field as a whole. Our program will provide Europe with a new generation of researchers in ultrafast and solvation sciences and therefore considerably strengthen the research of the ERA. Furthermore, both networks attach a great importance to increase the proportion of female researchers and so, to drive forward the gender equality within the scientific society.
Building on the existing cooperation between the two networks, the FP-RESOMUS is well placed to attract postdoctoral fellows from all around the world. It is 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 is composed of several key elements. The prime focus is on individual research training with supervision. Secondment of fellows within the FP-RESOMUS network is encouraged. Fellows are offered training in transferable skills, complemented by opportunities to apply these newly acquired skills. This approach is designed to benefit the career development of each fellow, as well as the research groups and the scientific field as a whole. Our program will provide Europe with a new generation of researchers in ultrafast and solvation sciences and therefore considerably strengthen the research of the ERA. Furthermore, both networks attach a great importance to increase the proportion of female researchers and so, to drive forward the gender equality within the scientific society.
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 contains detailed information on how to apply and includes a form to check if candidates meet the eligibility criteria of the MSCA-funding and our own criteria (now offline).
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. Three of the 14 fellows in Call 1 ended their fellowships early because they accepted new positions as Assistant Professor, tenured scientist, or postdoc in other research groups.
By the end of March 2021, fellows appointed in Call 1 published 9 open-access peer-reviewed papers which acknowledge financial support by the FP-RESOMUS Fellowship Program, while fellows appointed in Call 2 reported 4 such publications.
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 practically all workshops between March 2019 and March 2020 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 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. Three of the 14 fellows in Call 1 ended their fellowships early because they accepted new positions as Assistant Professor, tenured scientist, or postdoc in other research groups.
By the end of March 2021, fellows appointed in Call 1 published 9 open-access peer-reviewed papers which acknowledge financial support by the FP-RESOMUS Fellowship Program, while fellows appointed in Call 2 reported 4 such publications.
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 practically all workshops between March 2019 and March 2020 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 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).
The FP-RESOMUS Fellowship Program is on schedule, and 47 of the 50 available fellowships could be allocated. The remaining fellowship months will be reallocated amongst the currently active fellows. The co-funding to the two networks NCCR MUST and the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV has allowed the two networks to hire additional (junior) scientists from a wide range of countries, strongly supporting the goals of the networks and the MSCA Cofunding. The percentage of female postdoctoral researchers among the recruited fellows is 25 %, which is above the usual rate in physics and chemistry. As stated above, 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.