Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CIPHR (ERA Chair for Computational Imaging and Processing in High Resolution)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-06-01 bis 2024-01-31
The CIPHR project aims to establish the Center of Photonics and Computational Imaging (CPCI), a research unit within the University of Tartu (UTARTU) that will become a world leader in computational imaging, a sub-field of photonics. The CIPHR project will create a top-level research team capable of conducting cutting-edge research that combines photonics with computer science and optoelectronics. This centre will connect strong scientific fields in UTARTU, such as optics and spectroscopy, machine vision, remote sensing, electronics, and informatics. It will enable them to thrive further by combining expertise and resources to investigate complex multidisciplinary problems.
The mission of the CPCI is to extend the boundaries of knowledge and provide innovative solutions and cutting-edge research results in the field of computational imaging. The vision of the CPCI is to become a prominent international research centre and a leader in computational imaging in Estonia and Europe.
International and European research grants will support the research of the CPCI. The CPCI research group will increase the number of team members and will expand research facilities and equipment. The CPCI will have many international collaborators all over the world in academic and industry sectors contributing to academic research and product development, respectively.
The mission of the CPCI is to extend the boundaries of knowledge and provide innovative solutions and cutting-edge research results in the field of computational imaging. The vision of the CPCI is to become a prominent international research centre and a leader in computational imaging in Estonia and Europe.
International and European research grants will support the research of the CPCI. The CPCI research group will increase the number of team members and will expand research facilities and equipment. The CPCI will have many international collaborators all over the world in academic and industry sectors contributing to academic research and product development, respectively.
The ERA Chair holder has recruited a team of researchers to conduct top level research in the field of photonics. All staff was recruited in full compliance with European Charter for Researchers and EU Code of Conduct for the recruitment of researchers. The ERA Chair holder assessed the research environment and established contacts with other research units in the University of Tartu.
The CIPHR group did not have experimental resources during the first year 2022 due to the time-consuming public procurement process. However, with the help of internal and external collaborators, a reasonable number of research outputs were generated during the first year. During the first year, the CIPHR group has published more than 15 scientific articles, conference proceedings and a book chapter. From November 2022 to January 2024, the CIPHR group obtained vital scientific equipment such as SLM, light sources and image sensors and began more independent research. During the second year, until January 2024, the CIPHR group has published 22 journal articles, 22 conference proceedings, one book and two book chapters.
CIPHR Research Group members presented 17 oral and 5 poster presentations at international scientific conferences like the Imaging and Applied Optics Congress, SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics conference, Optical and Photonics Engineering & IEEE. All the presentations were published in conference proceedings. The CIPHR team members won three awards for best oral presentations.
Some of CIPHR group’s research outputs were recognized as important inventions in the field and highlighted in science news outlets such as Phys. Org, IEEE Spectrum News and Estonian National News. One of the research outputs was selected by the technology transfer office of University of Tartu and an US provisional patent application is ready and will be filed in the coming weeks. Additional patents will be filed from the ongoing research projects.
The CIPHR group members organized events like international summer school, two hackathons, workshops, and seminars to attract more researchers and collaborations. During the second reporting period, twenty seminars and workshops were held.
The CIPHR team has been keenly looking for funding opportunities and has made significant achievements in the past two years. The CIPHR chair team has an extensive domestic and international network. CIPHR group is now planning to expand the network towards the US. Collaboration activities will be used to develop good relationships with other research institutions in Europe to prepare research funding applications for Horizon Europe's forthcoming calls in 2024 and 2025.
To publicize and disseminate the work done in CPCI, we have a CPCI website and social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube channel.
The CIPHR group did not have experimental resources during the first year 2022 due to the time-consuming public procurement process. However, with the help of internal and external collaborators, a reasonable number of research outputs were generated during the first year. During the first year, the CIPHR group has published more than 15 scientific articles, conference proceedings and a book chapter. From November 2022 to January 2024, the CIPHR group obtained vital scientific equipment such as SLM, light sources and image sensors and began more independent research. During the second year, until January 2024, the CIPHR group has published 22 journal articles, 22 conference proceedings, one book and two book chapters.
CIPHR Research Group members presented 17 oral and 5 poster presentations at international scientific conferences like the Imaging and Applied Optics Congress, SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics conference, Optical and Photonics Engineering & IEEE. All the presentations were published in conference proceedings. The CIPHR team members won three awards for best oral presentations.
Some of CIPHR group’s research outputs were recognized as important inventions in the field and highlighted in science news outlets such as Phys. Org, IEEE Spectrum News and Estonian National News. One of the research outputs was selected by the technology transfer office of University of Tartu and an US provisional patent application is ready and will be filed in the coming weeks. Additional patents will be filed from the ongoing research projects.
The CIPHR group members organized events like international summer school, two hackathons, workshops, and seminars to attract more researchers and collaborations. During the second reporting period, twenty seminars and workshops were held.
The CIPHR team has been keenly looking for funding opportunities and has made significant achievements in the past two years. The CIPHR chair team has an extensive domestic and international network. CIPHR group is now planning to expand the network towards the US. Collaboration activities will be used to develop good relationships with other research institutions in Europe to prepare research funding applications for Horizon Europe's forthcoming calls in 2024 and 2025.
To publicize and disseminate the work done in CPCI, we have a CPCI website and social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube channel.
Impacts by the ERA Chair programme for UTARTU include:
1. Increased attractiveness of UTARTU and Estonia for internationally excellent, mobile researchers. It is expected that by the end of CIPHR project in 2025 we have doubled the number of foreign researchers working in computational imaging. Before the project start in 2019 there were 2 foreign researchers working in computational imaging in UTARTU. By the end of second reporting period there were three foreign researchers and four PhD students (junior researchers) working in the field of computational imaging in UTARTU.
2. Increased research excellence of institution in specific fields covered by the ERA Chair holder. It is expected that by the end of CIPHR project in 2025 we would develop two computational imaging proofs of concepts and one algorithm/prototype, at least 10 articles are accepted for publication in targeted high impact journals and three collaboration agreements with companies have to been signed. By the end of the second reporting period, one algorithm is worked out, and work on two computational imaging proofs of concepts has been started. There are 28 articles published in the high-impact journals from the beginning of the project.
3. Improved capability of UTARTU to compete successfully for international research funding. It is expected that by the end of the project in 2025 the number of submitted research proposals involving photonics or computational imaging in which UTARTU is a partner will increase from the previous five-year period (2014-2019) by 60% and in which UTARTU is the principal investigator by 40%. By the end of second reporting period one MSCA proposal was submitted, two Australian Government Grants were financed, two European travel grants were financed. The work on submitting new research proposals will continue during the third reporting period.
4. Institutional changes at UTARTU to implement the ERA priorities. It is expected that CIPHR project have impact to gender balance, increase of peer reviewed publications and high-quality doctoral training for 5 PhD students. The CIPHR project has impact on gender balance - three out of 4 PhD students are female. There has been a considerable increase in peer-reviewed publications and high-quality training for PhD students.
1. Increased attractiveness of UTARTU and Estonia for internationally excellent, mobile researchers. It is expected that by the end of CIPHR project in 2025 we have doubled the number of foreign researchers working in computational imaging. Before the project start in 2019 there were 2 foreign researchers working in computational imaging in UTARTU. By the end of second reporting period there were three foreign researchers and four PhD students (junior researchers) working in the field of computational imaging in UTARTU.
2. Increased research excellence of institution in specific fields covered by the ERA Chair holder. It is expected that by the end of CIPHR project in 2025 we would develop two computational imaging proofs of concepts and one algorithm/prototype, at least 10 articles are accepted for publication in targeted high impact journals and three collaboration agreements with companies have to been signed. By the end of the second reporting period, one algorithm is worked out, and work on two computational imaging proofs of concepts has been started. There are 28 articles published in the high-impact journals from the beginning of the project.
3. Improved capability of UTARTU to compete successfully for international research funding. It is expected that by the end of the project in 2025 the number of submitted research proposals involving photonics or computational imaging in which UTARTU is a partner will increase from the previous five-year period (2014-2019) by 60% and in which UTARTU is the principal investigator by 40%. By the end of second reporting period one MSCA proposal was submitted, two Australian Government Grants were financed, two European travel grants were financed. The work on submitting new research proposals will continue during the third reporting period.
4. Institutional changes at UTARTU to implement the ERA priorities. It is expected that CIPHR project have impact to gender balance, increase of peer reviewed publications and high-quality doctoral training for 5 PhD students. The CIPHR project has impact on gender balance - three out of 4 PhD students are female. There has been a considerable increase in peer-reviewed publications and high-quality training for PhD students.