ERA Chair position in Materials Research in Extreme Environments

Project Information

MATTER

Grant agreement ID: 856705

DOI

10.3030/856705

Project closed

EC signature date 30 July 2019

Start date 1 January 2020

End date 30 June 2025

Funded under

• Establishing ‚ERA Chairs’

Total cost

€ 2 499 750,00

EU contribution

€ 2 499 750,00

Coordinated by

TARTU ULIKOOL
Estonia

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - MATTER (ERA Chair position in Materials Research in Extreme Environments)

Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2025-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The overall objective of the MATTER project is to hire excellent researchers to facilitate structural changes in University of Tartu (UTARTU) by establishing an integrated ERA Chair in Materials Research in Extreme Environments to increase the research excellence in advanced materials modelling, biomedical engineering and nanomanipulation and exploitation of materials science in biomedical applications and nanomaterials. By establishing the ERA Chair position at the Centre of Materials in Extreme Environments the project aims to achieve its scientific vision and contribute significantly to the European Research Area by:
• Strengthening the competence base of the UTARTU by creating a new frontier of science regarding behavior and application of materials in extreme conditions, particularly in biomedical engineering and nanomaterials.
• Facilitating inter- and multidisciplinary research capacity across the boundaries of different structural units at UTARTU and with international high-level research centers, covering the 8 relevant research groups of The Institute of Technology (TUIT) and The Institute of Physics (TUIP) forming the ERA Chair and The Institute of Chemistry (TUIC), The Institute of Tartu Observatory (TOI) belonging to UTARTU structure and National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics (NICPB), involved as Stakeholders
• Educating the next generation of researchers by providing them with skills necessary for multi- and trans-disciplinary research and transfer of academic knowledge into technologies and innovations for resolving diverse societal challenges in a form of co-operation with private sector
• Increasing the visibility of unique research capabilities and infrastructure of the MATTER and UTARTU in general for more international high-tech research collaboration.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The ERA Chair (R3 or R4 level) and two established researchers (R3 level) will be hired:
• ERA Chair holder and senior team members are hired.
• 5 post-doctoral researchers are hired, advertisements for computer simulations expert will be published in coming weeks.
• 4 PhD students are currently active in MATTER. 2 PhD student has successfully defended her thesis.

The ERA CHAIR is integrated and institutionalised as an independent Research Lab under the TUIT:
• ERA Chair is institutionalized as independent lab.
• Management structure and working principles are established as part of research strategy.
• Cooperation with other structural units, especially with the Institute of Physics is established by collaboration agreements and joint submitted project proposals (number of proposals, national and international level).
• ERA Chair Holder is full member of TUIT.

Establish the long-term strategy of MATTER:
• Research strategy is established and submitted as deliverable.
• Kowledge and IP management strategy , exploitation and sustainability strategy and action plan for strengthening the doctoral programs are in finalization.
• Industrial collaboration program is launced by initiating Core Facility of Physics Simulations in TUIT.
• ERA Chair MATTER has published ~50 research papers and lifted ~7.8 MEUR research funds, ~450 KEUR industry related funds
• ERA Chair MATTER participated in 2 EU Teaming proposals. From them 1 proposal (succesful in 1st round) was initiated by MATTER.

Establish long term interactions with decision makers:
• ERA Chair MATTER coordinator represents Tartu University in Estonian CERN Council in Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication
• ERA Chair MATTER coordinator is Estonian Delegate in CERN scientific council.

Ensure the visibility of MATTER´s research excellence, competences and activities among all stakeholder groups
• MATTER team organized MeVARc 2021 Workshop in conjunction with CERN, Helsinki Universiti etc. and 10th MEVARC conference. Opportunity for MeVARc 2021 arose as hired ERA Chair holder was already main organizer.
• We organized of 1st CERN Baltic Group conference to be held among Baltic universities involved in CERN related activities.
• Successful 2nd Baltic School of High Energy Physics and Accelerator Technologies was organized together with CERN Baltic Group.
• MATTER organized 44th CERN School of Computing in Tartu
• We organized together with Paderborn University and University of Jyväskylä anErasmus+ blended intensive course in Germany, Paderborn in 27.03.-31.03.2023

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Institute of Technology in The University of Tartu (TUIT) is successful in many fields of research, including materials science, robotics, biomedical and environmental technology, synthetic biology. However, the main weakness is found to be in the lack of integration in many of these areas into multidisciplinary framework. In addition to its strong research activities, TUIT also has a significant background in business collaborations and has long-standing collaborations with major European research centers such as CERN. Summarizing the activities of TUIT so far, we see that all areas of smart specialization of Estonia are affected, however they remain separated into different research directions of TUIT. Moreover, in addition to smart specialization, Estonia's decision to join CERN builds an important opportunity. Specifically, in addition to particle physics related R&D, CERN has a broad impact in multidisciplinary applications and technology procurement, providing opportunities for wide range of research activities.
All these disciplines are successfully united by material technology, enabling the application of the principles of interdisciplinarity to contribute to their simultaneous development. In materials technology, we integrate cutting-edge computer simulations and material models (Information and Communication Technology (ICT), horizontally and across disciplines) that support the development of new materials using nanotechnology applications. This, in turn, is an important prerequisite for, among other things, health technologies and application development, as well as the creation of innovative materials in many different fields (renewable energy, micro and nanotechnology, electronics, etc.).

ERA Chair MATTER logo, symbolizing electron cloud around our activities.