ENLIGHTEN (GA847517) –ICFO’s ENhanced PhD Fellowship Program in the Sciences of LIGHT– is a 65-month MCSA COFUND doctoral program, proposed in the scope of the Europaimed at recruiting 20 outstanding early stage researchers (ESRs) to carry out an ambitious PhD-project at ICFO at the forefront of the photonic sciences. It finally offered 19 highly competitive fellowships of 36 months duration to outstanding international candidates, and equipped 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 450+ 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 25 Group Leaders have collectively secured 50 ERC grants (including 12 Starting, 7 Consolidated, 14 Advanced, 1 Synergy and 16 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 140 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 14 spin-off companies, with a few more in incubation. The center has been independently evaluated and recognized four 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.
