As a result of the 206 scheduled exchange experiences, ideas for joint collaboration will appear into mutually supported research themes sharing and transferring science and technology within the selected areas (Solid state chemistry (advanced ceramics), crystallography, testing materials, socioeconomic sciences etc.). Further development will be based on exchange of know-how and experience between partners, which will be promoted between the research centres in EU and those of the LA region through trans-national two-way secondments of research staff. In order to efficiently transfer the acquired knowledge through the framework of the project, an initial kick off meeting (M1) will be held in order to finally establish the agreed scheduled exchanges.
During the programmed exchanges, the participants will be involved in diferent types of activities for knowledge transfer such as training courses and case studies (scientific and administrative), short courses, workshops, seminars and open days. These activities will let to disseminate the activities of the project such as the socio-economical analyses. The activities have been grouped in order to take advantage of the exchanges of numerous EU and LA senior researchers in LA and EU countries during the events as well as in order to minimize the costs. The workshops will be organized including topics such as Academia-Industry relationships, future market in LA, definition of a Roadmap in MACs for LA, needs in MACs. The workshops will be organized in AR-Buenos Aires (New techniques for identification and characterization of advanced/nano-ceramics), BR-Santa Caterina (New lines of synthesis in nanoceramics with focus on with focus on: Relationships between University and Industry on advanced/nano-ceramics), CL-Santiago de Chile (From raw materials to products). Each workshop (3 working days) will be completed by a short courses (2 days) focused in one or two relevant topics for MACs: techniques of study, raw materials, technology transfer, IPR.
The workshops will include specialized scientific trainings in addition to those performed in Barcelona and Copenhangen. These trainings will involve the stays of academic seniors, young researchers and postgraduate students from EU/LA in LA/EU centers of excellence, respectively. These training events will help the scientists from EU and LA regions in taking advantage of the knowledge, experience and infrastructure existing in the counterpart regions, concerning the topics of EULA-NETCERMAT. These topics and appropriate methods for trainings will be worked out within the project in dense collaboration between the partners, considering what actually is most needed and useful for gaining the main goals of the project. Such training on specific topics will be realized through participation of selected staff members at training courses and e-learning platform. E-learning, will be implemented through the existing UNLu platform (Prof Silvia Martinelli) for distance training in undergraduate courses. After each programmed training event at least one virtual meeting will be held with the rest of partners to evaluate, highlight and discuss the obtained results. By this way, students and researchers coming from other regional countries (Uruguay, Paraguay, or Peru) will be able to participate, reinforcing the regional cooperation and the ERA. In addition and due to non-funded exchanges or travel expenses allowed between EU countries or between LA countries, the involved EULA-NETCERMAT partners in these events could participate by means of their own resources or otherwise will be provided through virtual media participation.
The administrative training will involve the case studies (Sub-Task 5.1.3), which aim is to procure to the LA administrative staff an accurate training in formulation and evaluation of proposals (Quality-Management-Impact) oriented to the FP8 (INCO, NMP, REGPOT etc). Exchanges of 1 month at UAB, ICMAB-CSIC or other EU Member State of the consortium will be organized after the month 12. Examples of successful proposals in different calls of FP7 or FP6 will be the base of this training for administrative personnel of the AR, BR and CL. The other considered activities are seminars (focused on topics of task 1.1, task 1.2 and task 4.4), which will be organized along the framework of the project and will be devoted to disseminate the performed activities, the detected potentials, tools for their valorization, good practices, the impact and the defined Action Plan [Lujan, Florianopolis and Santiago de Chile].
Once a year, in a unique LA country, an open day session (Sub-Task 5.2.4) will be organized in order to explain to public&private stakeholders, NGOs, cultural associations and civil society using didactic material, the potentialities of the three participating countries in terms of MACs applications to environmental/health/aeronautics [Lujan, Florianopolis, Santiago de Chile]. These events will be also held together with the training events in order to minimize their costs. The idea of delivering such grouped activities is based on the intention of transferring scientific knowledge and capabilities to cover structural and behavior aspects related to entrepreneurial culture. The contents of such training will strengthen the professional level to those who are working in the sector of ceramics and, in particular, in advanced ceramics. The main potential audience identified for the dissemination of EULA-NETCERMAT outputs, outside the consortium comprises the following:
Scientific communities at EU and LA (public and private research actors, research centers, R&D units in private companies). Actors involved and benefiting directly or indirectly from research, such as Trade Unions, end users associations, Chambers of Commerce or Industry (FIESC and others) Policy makers responsible of EU and LA research at regional and national level, engaged in policy design, orientation, implementation and evaluation on the research topics. Civil society through EU/LA media press, open information days, TV, radio and internet, both general and specialised. In this case, dissemination to a non-specialised audience is considered a key component of the project, thus during every project meeting a specific session will be devoted to this issue, translating the project outcomes from scientific and specialist language to common language.
In terms of added value, EULA-NETCERMAT partners will gain a sustainable knowledge through:
- Gain first-hand knowledge of the state-of-the-art in specific areas of MACs development, synthesis andcharacterization involving nanotechnologies that are of interest to both the EU and LA. This will be the basis for future joint research and establish a research agenda based on the pre-selected scientific topics of interest to be selected for future projects.
- Identify best practice amongst the partners in the selected research fields and define strategies to transfer this know-how to other interested laboratories.
- Promoting integration, increase research excellence and achieve critical mass, overcoming possible brain drain and lack of human potential, providing new points of view to solve problems and new ways for multi-professional projects
- Common use of existing research resources and access to the Large Infrastructures for research exchanges and training available in EU countries, such as ALBA synchrotron (UAB)
- The established relationships EU-LA as well training and exchange experiences, promoted through the case studies, workshops and training courses, will facilitate future hiring and recruitment tasks. We wish to highlight the importance of the creation of training modules from the exchange of experiences in a virtual platform where the collaborative work of the partners it is observed.
- Opening of the EU consortium groups to the three most important countries of LA, giving the opportunity to an integrated EU-LA space (ERA impact).
