POLICY NEWS

DECEMBER 2006 | VOLUME 9 | NUMBER 12 23

The US Department of Energy (DOE)

is to fund seven research projects in

solid-state lighting to the tune of

~$5 million. Four of the projects are at

Sandia National Laboratory, receiving

just over half of the allocation.

“The research for solid-state lighting

represents not only the next

generation of lighting but a focus

on energy-efficient technology that

will change the way we power our

nation,” says DOE Secretary Samuel

W. Bodman.

Solid-state lighting could double the

efficiency of lighting systems, which

currently account for >18% of all

energy generated in the US.

Jonathan Wood

New funds light up researchFUNDING

New flagship for innovation

Materials go back to school

POLICY

A European Institute of Technology (EIT) is a step

closer now that the European Commission (EC) has put

forward a proposal for such a body to the European

Council and Parliament, the other institutions making

up the European Union (EU).

The aim is to create a flagship for excellence in

innovation, research, and higher education in Europe,

recognizing that the continent is a long way behind

its competitors, such as the US and Japan, in turning

research into marketable products.

“We need a European space for innovation in which

excellence can thrive,” says José Manuel Barroso,

president of the EC. “The EIT will tear down the walls

between research, education, and business to unlock

Europe’s potential for innovation.”

However, there is a long path ahead. It is hoped that

approval for the EIT will be obtained before the end

of 2007. The EIT would then become operational in

2008 with the first research and innovation groups not

being set up until 2010. But substantial sums could be

available. The estimated budget for the period 2008-

2013 is $3 billion, coming directly from the EU, private

money, and through EIT groups competing for other

EU research funds.

The structure of the proposed EIT aims to offer Europe

a new model for integrating private companies,

universities, and research organizations, essentially

offering the private sector a new relationship with

education and research institutions.

The EIT will be a small organization, consisting only of

a governing board to set the priorities for the EIT and

around 60 scientific and support staff. Its priorities

will then be the basis for the work of Knowledge

and Information Communities (KICs). These joint

ventures, involving partners drawn from universities

and companies throughout Europe, will be formed

in response to calls for proposals. Although they will

have a contract with the EIT, the KICs will have a high

level of autonomy in terms of organization, managing

intellectual property, etc.

In other EU news, a roadmap defining 35 priorities

for investment in large research facilities across

Europe has been unveiled. The aim is to enable

European resources to be pooled in a common

strategy for developing such facilities. The document

produced by the European Strategy Forum on

Research Infrastructures is the result of two years of

consultation and peer review under the leadership of

materials scientist John Wood. The good news is that it

includes seven projects that will aid materials research.

The priorities include an extreme light infrastructure

for investigating light-matter interactions, a European

spallation source, which will be the world’s most

powerful source of neutrons, an X-ray free electron

laser, and an infrastructure for nanostructures.

Jonathan Wood

EDUCATION

Northwestern University’s efforts to bring materials science

to secondary school students through its Materials World

Modules (MWMs) program have received a three-year,

$6.9 million grant from the US Department of Defense. The

funds will be used to expand the initiative and create a new

center under the direction of Robert P. H. Chang.

“The MWMs engage and motivate students to do science, and

let them see how science is being applied in the real world

around them,” says Chang.

Developed in collaboration with teachers, MWMs cover many

topics, such as composites, sports materials, biosensors,

nanotechnology, and concrete and cement. Over 35 000

students across the US have used the modules, and Spanish

versions are also available for both the US and Mexico.

“We hope to spark students’ interest by providing hands-on

learning tools that encourage them to ask questions and

design new products using what they’ve learned,” Chang

explains.

The first priority of the new center is to establish a MWM

network to disseminate the modules systematically to middle

and high schools in New Jersey, Maryland, and New Mexico.

Staff at the center will also develop five new modules on

topics relevant to society, including renewable energy, the

environment, and health. Training workshops and an online

resource will be established to support teachers.

Jonathan Wood

A new facility for plastic electronics

research is to be built in Northeast

England with $19 million from the

European Regional Development Fund,

the local regional development agency

One NorthEast, and County Durham

Economic Partnership. The equipment

and expertise in the 3000 m2 Plastic

Electronics Technology Centre (PETeC)

will be made available to companies

and university groups looking to make

plastic electronics the basis of flexible

displays, low-energy organic lighting,

and solar cells.

Managed by the Centre of Excellence

for Nano, Micro, and Photonic

Systems (CENAMPS), PETeC will offer

cleanrooms, laboratories, and seminar

rooms. A staff of ten will be recruited,

including scientists developing

innovative printing technologies.

Jonathan Wood

Centeringon plastic electronicsFUNDING

Students taking part in an MWM. (Courtesy of Robert P.

H. Chang, Northwestern University.)

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