The project succeeded in the most important task which is the recruitment of the ERA-Chair holder, an internationally recognized researcher with a wide experience in science management, in a timely manner. This position was advertised on the websites of several prestigious science magazines, and a total of ten scientists from all over the world applied for the position in the two-round recruitment process. The selection panel agreed upon Dr. Stefan Vajda as the most suitable candidate, as did the members of the international counseling body, the newly established Project Advisory Board, which consists of well-known scientists from all over Europe. Dr. Vajda started working at the J. Heyrovský Institute on 1 January 2019, and the selection and recruitment process for the scientific, which started shortly after his appointment, remained a continuous process also in the second reporting period, and it was successfully completed in February of 2021 when the last scientist joined the project team. The newly established Department of Nanocatalysis became an organic part of the Institute, the laboratories of the Department of Nanocatalysis are equipped with state-of-the-art and highly sophisticated scientific instrumentation, and the team became fully operational by the end of 2021. The research predominantly focuses on identifying and understanding the function of new catalysts in a variety of processes, including industrial and environmental applications. Laboratory spaces for the new Department underwent an extensive reconstruction to provide high-standard conditions for breakthrough research on modern and unique instrumentation. The laboratories are fully equipped and the department has started to produce science, by studying catalytic properties of metal particles smaller than one nanometer and also subnanometer cluster. These particles can exhibit unique catalytic properties, including significant acceleration of chemical reactions. The removal of carbon monoxide from car exhaust or the conversion of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide to chemical products, including fuels, are particularly promising examples. A number of scientific papers were published in widely recognized peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Vajda and his research team are active in organizing and attending scientific conferences, seminars, and scientific lectures, sharing the experience in research subnanometer clusters, and promoting the project at the national and international level. The research group submitted numerous project proposals to calls of the Horizon Europe Framework program, including two Twinning proposals and one ERC grant, and several external funding was already attained. Despite the COVID pandemic the project achieved all its planned tasks, completed all the envisaged deliverables, and met all the foreseen milestones for the second reporting period.
