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 27.01.2017

IBEC will coordinate a € 3.5M EU project to train experts in advanced microscopy

IBEC's Nanoscale Bioelectrical Characterization group at PCB has been awarded 3.6 million euros to coordinate the SPM2.0 project in the framework of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (MSCA-ITN-ETN). The ten consortium members of the SPM2.0 European Training Network – located in Spain, France, Austria, the UK and Italy – will be able to provide researchers with state-of-the-art multidisciplinary scientific training in the field of Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPM), covering basic science to industrial applications, which should enable them to generate new scientific knowledge.

 

The 14 students in the programme will also receive practical training on transferable skills to increase their employability and qualify them for positions in the private and public sectors.

Advanced microscopy techniques are widely recognized as one of the pillars onto which the research and manufacture of nanotechnology based products is sustained. Scanning Probe Microscopes are currently the advanced microscopy techniques experiencing the fastest evolution and innovation, crossing fundamental barriers. Novel systems already exist that show potentially unparalleled performance in terms of 3D nanoscale imaging capabilities, imaging speed and chemical sensitivity mapping.

“In the science and technology of Scanning Probe Microscopes, Europe is currently in a leading position,” says IBEC’s Nanoscale Bioelectrical Characterization group leader Gabriel Gomila, who will coordinate the €3.6m project. “The main aim of our network is to consolidate Europe as the world leader in Scanning Probe Microscopy technologies and its emerging applications in key sectors such as materials, microelectronics, biology and medicine.”

SPM2.0 is one of 121 projects selected from 1367 applications received in the present call, and one of the few coordinated from Spain.