Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ADMIRE (Advanced Materials Research Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2020-10-01 do 2022-09-30
Advanced materials science is one of the key enabling technologies identified by the European Commission as boosting European competitiveness, creating jobs, and supporting growth.
The Advanced Materials Research (ADMIRE) Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme is an innovative Fellowship programme, providing interdisciplinary and intersectoral training in strategic priority areas of advanced materials research, aligned with the strengths of AMBER, the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centre in Advance Materials and Bioengineering research. The principal areas of research include materials for health, materials for energy, materials for information and communication technologies and engineered functional materials, including sustainable materials and technologies.
The overall objective of ADMIRE is to train the next generation of research leaders in Europe in advanced materials science. The training programme will equip the Fellows with the skills and flexibility to develop independent careers in their field of research in academia or industry. The ADMIRE programme will fund 12 two-year Fellowships in Ireland in the area of advanced materials, with Fellows being recruited through two calls for proposals. ADMIRE Fellows will be based in one of the nine academic partners of AMBER, and they will have access to the full range of AMBER state-of-the-art facilities and expertise at these locations. Principal investigators across AMBER’s academic partners will supervise, host and train Fellows. Where appropriate, AMBER’s industry partners will host fellows during secondment periods and will contribute to industry relevant training in the ADMIRE programme. Fellows will have complete freedom of choice in their supervisor, host institution and research topic, provided it aligns with the existing research priorities within AMBER, and the supervisor is an AMBER principal or funded investigator under the Science Foundation Ireland definitions.
ADMIRE will impact Europe - and the world - through the development of a cohort of junior research leaders who will have a unique grasp of both their own research domain and the wider implications their research for society. These cross-disciplinary Fellows who will have the skills and capacity to manage multidisciplinary, industrial research problems. Through the extensive research and training opportunities afforded to our Fellows, the ADMIRE Programme will foster their transition to independent research careers. This will guarantee that novel, cross-cutting materials research will be developed - both within and beyond the ADMIRE Programme - to address the big issues and grand challenges in society in areas such as healthcare, regenerative medicine, energy generation and consumption, communications and information technology, all underpinned by a deep understanding of the need for sustainability.
The Advanced Materials Research (ADMIRE) Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme is an innovative Fellowship programme, providing interdisciplinary and intersectoral training in strategic priority areas of advanced materials research, aligned with the strengths of AMBER, the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centre in Advance Materials and Bioengineering research. The principal areas of research include materials for health, materials for energy, materials for information and communication technologies and engineered functional materials, including sustainable materials and technologies.
The overall objective of ADMIRE is to train the next generation of research leaders in Europe in advanced materials science. The training programme will equip the Fellows with the skills and flexibility to develop independent careers in their field of research in academia or industry. The ADMIRE programme will fund 12 two-year Fellowships in Ireland in the area of advanced materials, with Fellows being recruited through two calls for proposals. ADMIRE Fellows will be based in one of the nine academic partners of AMBER, and they will have access to the full range of AMBER state-of-the-art facilities and expertise at these locations. Principal investigators across AMBER’s academic partners will supervise, host and train Fellows. Where appropriate, AMBER’s industry partners will host fellows during secondment periods and will contribute to industry relevant training in the ADMIRE programme. Fellows will have complete freedom of choice in their supervisor, host institution and research topic, provided it aligns with the existing research priorities within AMBER, and the supervisor is an AMBER principal or funded investigator under the Science Foundation Ireland definitions.
ADMIRE will impact Europe - and the world - through the development of a cohort of junior research leaders who will have a unique grasp of both their own research domain and the wider implications their research for society. These cross-disciplinary Fellows who will have the skills and capacity to manage multidisciplinary, industrial research problems. Through the extensive research and training opportunities afforded to our Fellows, the ADMIRE Programme will foster their transition to independent research careers. This will guarantee that novel, cross-cutting materials research will be developed - both within and beyond the ADMIRE Programme - to address the big issues and grand challenges in society in areas such as healthcare, regenerative medicine, energy generation and consumption, communications and information technology, all underpinned by a deep understanding of the need for sustainability.
At this stage in the ADMIRE Programme, we are pleased to report that our full cohort of 12 world-class researchers have been recruited, with eight now in place and the remaining joining the team in the coming weeks and months.
In the early stage of the Programme, the focus was, largely, on the administrative elements of the Programme. The ADMIRE Programme is fully committed to open, transparent and merit-based recruitment (OTM-R) across its two, internationally advertised open calls for applications. The recruitment process followed four steps: advertising of the Calls, the submission of an application, a detailed international review and, where relevant, an interview of shortlisted candidates. Full guidance on the programme was prepared for both Calls, including guidance for applicants, their supervisors and reviewers and online briefing sessions for potential applicants. In paralleled to this, an international recruitment drive of Expert Remote Reviewers was also undertaken. All applications were evaluated on the basis of their scientific excellence, their proposed impact on the research and training development of the candidate and the impact on research and society more widely and on the quality of the proposed implementation of the individual research projects, to ensure the most ambitious - but realistic - research programmes.
With eight Fellows now in place, the research portfolio of the ADMIRE Programme is coming more sharply into focus. These highly qualified, ambitious researchers are working with their mentors and supervisors on a diverse range of projects covering areas such as regenerative medicine, novel approaches to medical interventions and drug delivery, advanced materials for energy production and shortage systems, improved approaches to recyclability and sustainability.
These researchers are also participating in network-wide training opportunities, aimed at developing their transferable skills and broadening their research opportunities.
In the early stage of the Programme, the focus was, largely, on the administrative elements of the Programme. The ADMIRE Programme is fully committed to open, transparent and merit-based recruitment (OTM-R) across its two, internationally advertised open calls for applications. The recruitment process followed four steps: advertising of the Calls, the submission of an application, a detailed international review and, where relevant, an interview of shortlisted candidates. Full guidance on the programme was prepared for both Calls, including guidance for applicants, their supervisors and reviewers and online briefing sessions for potential applicants. In paralleled to this, an international recruitment drive of Expert Remote Reviewers was also undertaken. All applications were evaluated on the basis of their scientific excellence, their proposed impact on the research and training development of the candidate and the impact on research and society more widely and on the quality of the proposed implementation of the individual research projects, to ensure the most ambitious - but realistic - research programmes.
With eight Fellows now in place, the research portfolio of the ADMIRE Programme is coming more sharply into focus. These highly qualified, ambitious researchers are working with their mentors and supervisors on a diverse range of projects covering areas such as regenerative medicine, novel approaches to medical interventions and drug delivery, advanced materials for energy production and shortage systems, improved approaches to recyclability and sustainability.
These researchers are also participating in network-wide training opportunities, aimed at developing their transferable skills and broadening their research opportunities.
At its core, ADMIRE is a research and training programme, whereby 12 highly qualified Postdoctoral Fellows will carry out cutting-edge, interdisciplinary work in advance materials research. Consequently, it is easy to match the outcomes of the projects against significant impacts for the researchers themselves, for Europe and for society more widely:
The ADMIRE programme will enhance expertise in advanced materials research at regional, national and international level. At regional and national level, ADMIRE will see 12 Fellows of the highest quality join AMBER at one of its nine locations across Ireland. Through their projects, they will enhance the research in AMBER and increase the attractiveness and international visibility of the Centre to other researchers. Materials research has been identified by the Irish Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation as an area of national strategic research priority. Advanced Materials is also one of the Key Enabling Technologies identified by the European Commission as underpinning competitiveness, job creation, and supporting growth in Europe. Advanced materials can contribute to economic growth in Ireland and Europe through the development of new technologies and an upskilled workforce, while simultaneously contributing to solving many of the grand challenges faced by society in areas such as health, climate change, food security, sustainability, transport and energy. These are all areas in which AMBER researchers currently strive to make an impact and it is expected that the Fellows will contribute significantly to these efforts.
At the level of individual Fellows, the research environment and dedicated training programme guarantees discipline specific training, cutting edge research programmes with state-of-the-art equipment access and training in their chosen field, as well as exposure to interdisciplinary research through exposure to the broad range of research interests of the centre. Combined, these will contribute to the future employability of our Fellows, who will be able to establish themselves as world leaders in their chosen field and future career.
Much of the research is at a relatively early stage, with the first group of Fellows only now reaching the end of their first year of work. Consequently, there are few concrete results. But this will grow in the coming months. The novel and ambitious projects that have been selected following international peer review all have the potential to enable step changes in our understanding of advanced materials in virtual all aspects of our lives.
The ADMIRE programme will enhance expertise in advanced materials research at regional, national and international level. At regional and national level, ADMIRE will see 12 Fellows of the highest quality join AMBER at one of its nine locations across Ireland. Through their projects, they will enhance the research in AMBER and increase the attractiveness and international visibility of the Centre to other researchers. Materials research has been identified by the Irish Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation as an area of national strategic research priority. Advanced Materials is also one of the Key Enabling Technologies identified by the European Commission as underpinning competitiveness, job creation, and supporting growth in Europe. Advanced materials can contribute to economic growth in Ireland and Europe through the development of new technologies and an upskilled workforce, while simultaneously contributing to solving many of the grand challenges faced by society in areas such as health, climate change, food security, sustainability, transport and energy. These are all areas in which AMBER researchers currently strive to make an impact and it is expected that the Fellows will contribute significantly to these efforts.
At the level of individual Fellows, the research environment and dedicated training programme guarantees discipline specific training, cutting edge research programmes with state-of-the-art equipment access and training in their chosen field, as well as exposure to interdisciplinary research through exposure to the broad range of research interests of the centre. Combined, these will contribute to the future employability of our Fellows, who will be able to establish themselves as world leaders in their chosen field and future career.
Much of the research is at a relatively early stage, with the first group of Fellows only now reaching the end of their first year of work. Consequently, there are few concrete results. But this will grow in the coming months. The novel and ambitious projects that have been selected following international peer review all have the potential to enable step changes in our understanding of advanced materials in virtual all aspects of our lives.