Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ENLIGHTEN (ENhanced PhD Fellowship Programme in the Sciences of LIGHT)
Période du rapport: 2020-07-01 au 2022-06-30
ENLIGHTEN (GA847517) –ICFO’s ENhanced PhD Fellowship Program in the Sciences of LIGHT– is a 60-month MCSA COFUND doctoral program, proposed in the scope of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. ENLIGHTEN is crucial to enhancing the quality, impact and international competitiveness of ICFO’s targeted and highly successful PhD training program. The project aims at recruiting outstanding early stage researchers (ESRs) to carry out an ambitious PhD-project at ICFO at the forefront of the photonic sciences. It will offer 20 highly competitive fellowships of 36 months duration to outstanding international candidates, and equip them with unique capabilities to become future leaders in the academic and industrial worlds.
ICFO is an independent research center created in 2002, with the mission of becoming a world-leading center for research and training in the Photonic Sciences. It has since grown significantly in size, scope and impact and has now reached critical mass hosting 400+ researchers and students drawn from over 60 countries worldwide. The center has established itself as a reputed global research institution, consistently given a leading position in the international rankings relative to its size, and attracted a remarkable share of the world’s top talent: its 23 Group Leaders have collectively secured 37 ERC grants (including 11 Advanced and 11 Proof-of-Concept grants).
ICFO has had exceptional impact for an institution of its size, with ongoing research collaborations in more than 50 industrial projects with local and international industrial partners, and a portfolio of more than 70 patent families. ICFO hosts industrial laboratories supported by Corning, Leica and Nikon, and Quside, four endowed research chairs supported by SPIE, AXA, Corning and Fundacion Catalunya- la Pedrera, and has helped create 8 start-up companies, with several more in incubation. The center has been independently evaluated and recognized three times with the highest possible award (Excelencia Severo Ochoa) for its scientific and institutional excellence by the Spanish Government, and secured outstanding support from industrial and philanthropic organizations, including several donations that in total constitute one of the largest ever received by a scientific institution in Spain. It is a member of local research networks of excellence BIST, CERCA and HUBC, and plays a prominent role with the European Flagship programs on Graphene and Quantum Technologies leading a number of work packages, and the corresponding regional Smart Specialization Strategy.
The specific objectives of ENLIGHTEN are:
• Provide exceptional training to outstanding international Early-Stage Researchers in the Photonic Sciences through cutting-edge research projects supervised by world-leading scientists, and a training program tailored to the needs of future employers;
• Embed a commitment to Open Science, Scientific Ethics, and the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation within ICFO and selected Fellows;
• Establish an international benchmark in supervision, mentoring and career development of ESRs; and
• Ensure equal opportunity in the recruitment and training of ESRs from under-represented and diverse international backgrounds, with particular attention paid to women in science.
ICFO is an independent research center created in 2002, with the mission of becoming a world-leading center for research and training in the Photonic Sciences. It has since grown significantly in size, scope and impact and has now reached critical mass hosting 400+ researchers and students drawn from over 60 countries worldwide. The center has established itself as a reputed global research institution, consistently given a leading position in the international rankings relative to its size, and attracted a remarkable share of the world’s top talent: its 23 Group Leaders have collectively secured 37 ERC grants (including 11 Advanced and 11 Proof-of-Concept grants).
ICFO has had exceptional impact for an institution of its size, with ongoing research collaborations in more than 50 industrial projects with local and international industrial partners, and a portfolio of more than 70 patent families. ICFO hosts industrial laboratories supported by Corning, Leica and Nikon, and Quside, four endowed research chairs supported by SPIE, AXA, Corning and Fundacion Catalunya- la Pedrera, and has helped create 8 start-up companies, with several more in incubation. The center has been independently evaluated and recognized three times with the highest possible award (Excelencia Severo Ochoa) for its scientific and institutional excellence by the Spanish Government, and secured outstanding support from industrial and philanthropic organizations, including several donations that in total constitute one of the largest ever received by a scientific institution in Spain. It is a member of local research networks of excellence BIST, CERCA and HUBC, and plays a prominent role with the European Flagship programs on Graphene and Quantum Technologies leading a number of work packages, and the corresponding regional Smart Specialization Strategy.
The specific objectives of ENLIGHTEN are:
• Provide exceptional training to outstanding international Early-Stage Researchers in the Photonic Sciences through cutting-edge research projects supervised by world-leading scientists, and a training program tailored to the needs of future employers;
• Embed a commitment to Open Science, Scientific Ethics, and the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation within ICFO and selected Fellows;
• Establish an international benchmark in supervision, mentoring and career development of ESRs; and
• Ensure equal opportunity in the recruitment and training of ESRs from under-represented and diverse international backgrounds, with particular attention paid to women in science.
During the first two years of the Fellowship, our researchers attended a total of 34 online conferences and 27 on-site (4 in 2021 and 23 in 2022) in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, UK and USA, where a total of 3 posters were presented and 4 talks were given.
On the other hand, there have already been six publications acknowledging GA 847517:
• Universal and optimal coin sequences for high entanglement generation in 1D discrete time quantum walks.
• The ER cholesterol sensor SCAP promotes CARTS biogenesis at ER-Golgi membrane contact sites .
• Exploring Quantum Perceptron and Quantum Neural Network structures with a teacher-student scheme.
• Storage capacity and learning capability of quantum neural networks.
• Bell Nonlocality Is Not Sufficient for the Security of Standard Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution Protocols.
• Engineering an Effective Three-spin Hamiltonian in Trapped-ion Systems for Applications in Quantum Simulation.
On May 2022, we launched a Mobility Grant Program to encourage ESRs to pursue a secondment by giving them extra financial aid to engage in international and intersectoral collaborations through research stays at international academic and research institutions.
Finally, we have been working on an Individual Mentoring Program aimed at teaming up 3rd and 4th year ENLIGHTEN PhD students with mentors to help introduce them to the full range of professional possibilities after the PhD and give advice about career transition based on their experience. The program will be launched September 30 2022.
On the other hand, there have already been six publications acknowledging GA 847517:
• Universal and optimal coin sequences for high entanglement generation in 1D discrete time quantum walks.
• The ER cholesterol sensor SCAP promotes CARTS biogenesis at ER-Golgi membrane contact sites .
• Exploring Quantum Perceptron and Quantum Neural Network structures with a teacher-student scheme.
• Storage capacity and learning capability of quantum neural networks.
• Bell Nonlocality Is Not Sufficient for the Security of Standard Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution Protocols.
• Engineering an Effective Three-spin Hamiltonian in Trapped-ion Systems for Applications in Quantum Simulation.
On May 2022, we launched a Mobility Grant Program to encourage ESRs to pursue a secondment by giving them extra financial aid to engage in international and intersectoral collaborations through research stays at international academic and research institutions.
Finally, we have been working on an Individual Mentoring Program aimed at teaming up 3rd and 4th year ENLIGHTEN PhD students with mentors to help introduce them to the full range of professional possibilities after the PhD and give advice about career transition based on their experience. The program will be launched September 30 2022.
The objective of ENLIGHTEN is to establish a top-level European PhD program at ICFO-Barcelona, competitive with the best PhD programs in Photonic Sciences worldwide. The support provided by ENLIGHTEN will enable ICFO to continue to enhance the quality and impact of our PhD program, and maintain our ability to attract the best candidates worldwide to our program.
In terms of results and impact, ENLIGHTEN aims to:
• Enhance Research and Technical Skills and develop Key Transferrable Skills
• Build Professional Networks.
• Embed a commitment to Open Science and Responsible Research
• Provide outstanding mentoring and career development
• Ensure International & Inter-sectoral exposure
• Provide a life-long connection to the ICFO community
• Ensure equal opportunity
With ENLIGHTEN we significantly enhance our PhD program and have an impact at both the regional and international level:
National Impact: Through ENLIGHTEN, ICFO attracts and recruits talented ESRs world-wide, enhancing the talent base within the region. We know from our Alumni program that a significant fraction of our PhD graduates stay within the region following their PhD. On the other hand, ENLIGHTEN strengthens ICFO’s presence in regional networks, particular to high-quality local research networks of excellence such as BIST, HUBC, CERCA and ICREA.
International Impact: ENLIGHTEN enhances the international talent base in research fields vital to the ongoing competitiveness of the European Research Area. Photonic sciences underpin a broad range of scientific disciplines and provide linchpin technologies for industries in many fields. As such, photonics is identified as one of the five Key Enabling Technologies for Europe, with an estimated
impact on 10% of the European economy.
We expect the Fellows’ research projects to result in high-quality research output, including scientific results published in high-impact journals and open-access repositories, boosting Europe’s competitiveness in photonics sciences and related fields. The KTT unit provides support to identify opportunities for protecting the knowledge and results generated in the projects by registering them as intellectual property, a crucial step in enabling their subsequent industrial exploitation, and support for engagement with interested and relevant stakeholders.
In terms of results and impact, ENLIGHTEN aims to:
• Enhance Research and Technical Skills and develop Key Transferrable Skills
• Build Professional Networks.
• Embed a commitment to Open Science and Responsible Research
• Provide outstanding mentoring and career development
• Ensure International & Inter-sectoral exposure
• Provide a life-long connection to the ICFO community
• Ensure equal opportunity
With ENLIGHTEN we significantly enhance our PhD program and have an impact at both the regional and international level:
National Impact: Through ENLIGHTEN, ICFO attracts and recruits talented ESRs world-wide, enhancing the talent base within the region. We know from our Alumni program that a significant fraction of our PhD graduates stay within the region following their PhD. On the other hand, ENLIGHTEN strengthens ICFO’s presence in regional networks, particular to high-quality local research networks of excellence such as BIST, HUBC, CERCA and ICREA.
International Impact: ENLIGHTEN enhances the international talent base in research fields vital to the ongoing competitiveness of the European Research Area. Photonic sciences underpin a broad range of scientific disciplines and provide linchpin technologies for industries in many fields. As such, photonics is identified as one of the five Key Enabling Technologies for Europe, with an estimated
impact on 10% of the European economy.
We expect the Fellows’ research projects to result in high-quality research output, including scientific results published in high-impact journals and open-access repositories, boosting Europe’s competitiveness in photonics sciences and related fields. The KTT unit provides support to identify opportunities for protecting the knowledge and results generated in the projects by registering them as intellectual property, a crucial step in enabling their subsequent industrial exploitation, and support for engagement with interested and relevant stakeholders.