Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DESTINY (Doctorate Programme on Emerging Battery Storage Technologies INspiring Young scientists)
Berichtszeitraum: 2020-10-01 bis 2022-09-30
To establish a competitive and world-leading battery value chain in Europe, the European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič in October 2017 launched the European Battery Alliance (EBA). In this context, many universities, research centers and supporting organisations have agreed to build the Battery 2030+ consortium as an ambitious European initiative for long-term research on ultra-performant batteries.
The COFUND project DESTINY contributes substantially at the launching of this initiative through its advanced PhD training at the forefront of EU battery research. Interdisciplinary competences and skills are favored through the complementarity within DESTINY. In addition, DESTINY includes a broad set of trainings in transferable skills: personal effectiveness, research governance and entrepreneurship, engagement, influence and impact. Together this will also bring down the barriers between academic research and industrial development and innovation.
DESTINY is coordinated by the CNRS in France and gathers 20 Universities, 6 Research Centers, 2 Research Networks, 3 Large Scale Facilities and 8 Companies from 11 European countries, members of Battery 2030+ and ALISTORE-ERI. DESTINY also connects to several national initiatives in Sweden, France, UK, Germany and Poland. More than 1000 people working in battery R&D will in some way be connected to the educational and training efforts within DESTINY.
The COFUND project DESTINY contributes substantially at the launching of this initiative through its advanced PhD training at the forefront of EU battery research. Interdisciplinary competences and skills are favored through the complementarity within DESTINY. In addition, DESTINY includes a broad set of trainings in transferable skills: personal effectiveness, research governance and entrepreneurship, engagement, influence and impact. Together this will also bring down the barriers between academic research and industrial development and innovation.
DESTINY is coordinated by the CNRS in France and gathers 20 Universities, 6 Research Centers, 2 Research Networks, 3 Large Scale Facilities and 8 Companies from 11 European countries, members of Battery 2030+ and ALISTORE-ERI. DESTINY also connects to several national initiatives in Sweden, France, UK, Germany and Poland. More than 1000 people working in battery R&D will in some way be connected to the educational and training efforts within DESTINY.
The project began from October 1st 2020 and first created a rather complete Web Site (https://www.destiny-phd.eu/) that is highly visited and advertised through social media which opened on Nov. 20th, 2020 to advertise on 29 topics offered in 11 EU countries for Cohort#1. A detailed "guide for applicants" was created. The Call for applications was widely advertised by the networks into which DESTINY participates (ALISTORE, RS2E, BATTERY2030+, ..) and the institutions. The process for applications was secured by the official Job Portal of the CNRS (European HRS4R label). And many other recruitment platforms. Overall, 3690 people visited the Job Offer Portal and 507 people initiated an application procedure! The Call for Applications for Cohort#1 closed on January 17th, 2021, resulting in 195 applications from 45 countries, with 28% of female candidates.
* For Stage #1 (Eligibility Check) EB members and the administrative team read all the applications and checked the eligibility of the candidates under the MSCA and ESR rules. 84 applicants were declared eligible.
* Stage #2 consisted in grading the paper applications by 63 experts from 17 different countries, so as to secure a fair evaluation of the candidates. Each candidate was evaluated by seven independent experts. Globally, 58 applicants who passed the threshold of 70 points were declared admitted for the next round.
* Stage #3 consisted in conducting interviews (March 29th and 30th, 2021) online. A Selection Committee (SC) of 10 experts was constituted. After 15' of interview with each of the 50 candidates, 26 applicants were declared "recommended for funding", 6 were placed in the Reserve List and 18 were declared non-eligible.
* Stage #4 consisted in attributing the topics to the candidates based on their wishes and their rankings. The process went well as out of the 26 selected candidates, only 2 declined and hence 2 topics were offered to applicants from the Reserve List.
The 26 Awarded Fellows for Cohort#1 come from 19 countries, mostly non-European. On Dec. 14th and 15th 2021, the DESTINY Kick-Off Meeting of Cohort#1 took place at the same time as the bi-annual meeting of ALISTORE ERI, in Amiens, France. A large part was dedicated to DESTINY and this was an opportunity ALISTORE partners to promote Cohort#2. Each of the 26 students of Cohort#1 (except 1) attended the Meeting and presented their PhD topic to the whole public through a 1’ pitch. They all participated to the ALISTORE Workshop, attended the lectures and were invited to the large dinner offered.
The Call for applications for Cohort #2 started on October 15th, 2021 with 24 new topics advertised on the DESTINY www site. These involved 9 European countries and the CNRS Job Portal was opened from Nov. 16th, 2021 till Jan. 23rd 2022. DESTINY received 250 Applications from 38 countries, with 30% of female candidates. Grading from paper applications was finalized on March 4th, 2022 and interviews conducted online on 4th and 5th of April 2022. A first list of DESTINY Fellows was established on April 26th 2022. The final admission of the DESTINY Fellows was sometimes delayed as, depending on the country and the host laboratory, applicants are subject to security checks (ZRR in France). 2 Awarded Fellows received a negative ZRR, and then 2 others withdrew, leaving 4 topics of Cohort#2 free again. An extension of the project has been requested to the P.O. until Dec. 31st, 2025 so as to launch a new Call for Applications. The Call #2 started on Sept. 1st, 2022 till Sept. 22nd, 2022 and three new selected fellows have been recruited.
Regarding training, the project is ongoing well. Training schools have been organized by the partners, open to DESTINY fellows who apply for it. A first T.S. was organized online by the head of the Ethics Committee, mandatory for the 26 trainees of Cohort#1, on May 9th, 2022. A second T.S. was organized in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from May 3rd to May 6th, on "Impedance Spectroscopy Applied to Electrochemical Systems". A third T.S. was organized in Amiens, France, from Nov. 14th to Nov. 18th, 2022, on "Multiscale Modelling for Batteries". Three other schools are scheduled for the first quarter of 2023.
An international Ethics Board has been set up. Composed of 5 members. Its global role consists in defining and implementing the necessary ethical procedures that meet the H2020 ethics guidelines and principles. In order to ensure a global vision on the project on these issues, each member of the E.B. comes from a different sector: CNRS, Universities, Company, Education Sector outside DESTINY. Ethics contact points have been nominated for all the partners. The Ethics Board will follow up DESTINY's activities along three axes: the project in general, the PhD topics, the PhD fellows & partners trainings.
* For Stage #1 (Eligibility Check) EB members and the administrative team read all the applications and checked the eligibility of the candidates under the MSCA and ESR rules. 84 applicants were declared eligible.
* Stage #2 consisted in grading the paper applications by 63 experts from 17 different countries, so as to secure a fair evaluation of the candidates. Each candidate was evaluated by seven independent experts. Globally, 58 applicants who passed the threshold of 70 points were declared admitted for the next round.
* Stage #3 consisted in conducting interviews (March 29th and 30th, 2021) online. A Selection Committee (SC) of 10 experts was constituted. After 15' of interview with each of the 50 candidates, 26 applicants were declared "recommended for funding", 6 were placed in the Reserve List and 18 were declared non-eligible.
* Stage #4 consisted in attributing the topics to the candidates based on their wishes and their rankings. The process went well as out of the 26 selected candidates, only 2 declined and hence 2 topics were offered to applicants from the Reserve List.
The 26 Awarded Fellows for Cohort#1 come from 19 countries, mostly non-European. On Dec. 14th and 15th 2021, the DESTINY Kick-Off Meeting of Cohort#1 took place at the same time as the bi-annual meeting of ALISTORE ERI, in Amiens, France. A large part was dedicated to DESTINY and this was an opportunity ALISTORE partners to promote Cohort#2. Each of the 26 students of Cohort#1 (except 1) attended the Meeting and presented their PhD topic to the whole public through a 1’ pitch. They all participated to the ALISTORE Workshop, attended the lectures and were invited to the large dinner offered.
The Call for applications for Cohort #2 started on October 15th, 2021 with 24 new topics advertised on the DESTINY www site. These involved 9 European countries and the CNRS Job Portal was opened from Nov. 16th, 2021 till Jan. 23rd 2022. DESTINY received 250 Applications from 38 countries, with 30% of female candidates. Grading from paper applications was finalized on March 4th, 2022 and interviews conducted online on 4th and 5th of April 2022. A first list of DESTINY Fellows was established on April 26th 2022. The final admission of the DESTINY Fellows was sometimes delayed as, depending on the country and the host laboratory, applicants are subject to security checks (ZRR in France). 2 Awarded Fellows received a negative ZRR, and then 2 others withdrew, leaving 4 topics of Cohort#2 free again. An extension of the project has been requested to the P.O. until Dec. 31st, 2025 so as to launch a new Call for Applications. The Call #2 started on Sept. 1st, 2022 till Sept. 22nd, 2022 and three new selected fellows have been recruited.
Regarding training, the project is ongoing well. Training schools have been organized by the partners, open to DESTINY fellows who apply for it. A first T.S. was organized online by the head of the Ethics Committee, mandatory for the 26 trainees of Cohort#1, on May 9th, 2022. A second T.S. was organized in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from May 3rd to May 6th, on "Impedance Spectroscopy Applied to Electrochemical Systems". A third T.S. was organized in Amiens, France, from Nov. 14th to Nov. 18th, 2022, on "Multiscale Modelling for Batteries". Three other schools are scheduled for the first quarter of 2023.
An international Ethics Board has been set up. Composed of 5 members. Its global role consists in defining and implementing the necessary ethical procedures that meet the H2020 ethics guidelines and principles. In order to ensure a global vision on the project on these issues, each member of the E.B. comes from a different sector: CNRS, Universities, Company, Education Sector outside DESTINY. Ethics contact points have been nominated for all the partners. The Ethics Board will follow up DESTINY's activities along three axes: the project in general, the PhD topics, the PhD fellows & partners trainings.
* The project has progressed well and reached its first goal: be attractive and bring many bright candidates to the proposed PhD topics. Besides the complexity of hiring so many PhD students (50) in so many different places in Europe with research projects and agreements to agree on, ... the number of high-quality candidacies was really satisfactory and, more importantly, more than 90% of the selected candidates decided to enroll in the DESTINY topics.
* Five scientific publications are already published, accessible in Open Access, as reminded many times to the DESTINY PhD fellows. This is remarkable, for research projects that started only one year ago.
* The training schools are being organized and prepared, with highly qualified scientists involved. This is an important realization of DESTINY as these schools will be re-used for PhD trainings but as well for training of industry people who actively ask for them already!
* The students are well connected and have several opportunities to meet each other and to meet key actors of the ALISTORE ERI. This will have a very positive impact on networking and collaboration at the European level in the battery R&D.
* Five scientific publications are already published, accessible in Open Access, as reminded many times to the DESTINY PhD fellows. This is remarkable, for research projects that started only one year ago.
* The training schools are being organized and prepared, with highly qualified scientists involved. This is an important realization of DESTINY as these schools will be re-used for PhD trainings but as well for training of industry people who actively ask for them already!
* The students are well connected and have several opportunities to meet each other and to meet key actors of the ALISTORE ERI. This will have a very positive impact on networking and collaboration at the European level in the battery R&D.