ICIQ receives +€3.2m for ITN projects

ICIQ will coordinate 2 ITN projects and will participate in another one.
In total, projects sum up more than 3 million euros and involve 27 European institutions.

Within Horizon 2020, the European Union funds the creation of innovative training networks (ITN). In the last ITN call (2017), ICIQ was selected to coordinate two of these networks and participate as partner of a third. Moreover, ICIQ demonstrated its versatility by obtaining funding from all of the three ITN categories – European Training Networks, European Industrial Doctorates, and European Joint Doctorates.

Starting 2018, Prof. Pau Ballester will coordinate a European Training Network focused in the design of new methodologies for molecular encapsulation. Researchers involved will look for new ways of ‘trapping’ molecules inside molecular containers to develop, among other things, controlled drug delivery systems and sensors. The network, called NOAH, is formed by 9 European institutions including leading industrial partners Covestro and Mind the Byte. It will train 10 new PhDs.

Before the end of the year, our technology unit ERTFLOW, led by Prof. Miquel A. Pericàs and Dr. Esther Alza, will start to coordinate ICIQ’s first European Industrial Doctorate ITN network. This network, dubbed VIRO-FLOW, will train 3 new PhDs that will carry out half of their research at AiCuris, a German company specialised in the development of new antibiotics and antivirals. VIRO-FLOW will study new synthetic methodologies in flow chemistry that will lead to cleaner, more sustainable chemical processes.

Last but not least, Prof. Antoni Llobet will participate as a partner in eSCALED, a Europan Joint Doctorate that will train 11 PhDs. Their research will be focused on artificial photosynthesis, and will count on the collaboration of important European industries in the field like Solaronix, Vertech, and Riva.

In total, these three ITN networks will train 24 students in a multidisciplinary, inter-sectorial, international manner. Moreover, besides receiving academic supervision during their PhDs, trainees will attend several workshops, seminars, and conferences along the duration of the project. This way, the EU and ICIQ expect to foster candidates’ qualities like scientific excellence and innovation, as well as skills like creativity and entrepreneurship.