iPEN (Innovative Photonics Education in Nanotechnology) aims to provide an education training program to young researchers (postgraduate, Research students) in the most common used photonic tools and techniques in a Nanotechnology Laboratory. The project will include the development of online & offline modules, as well as, the organization of intensive courses, that will foster the photonic learning skills and build the confidence of young researchers in the field of Nanotechnologies.
The iPEN project targets to cultivate and offer training in three sections: (1) in photonics skills requested from the nanotechnology and market needs, (2) in soft skills most requested from the market needs; and (3) in teaching, offline and online, skills of the academics in order to become better teachers.
Principal Investigator
Research Associates
Alumni
While large-area crystal growth techniques, such as CVD, are successfully used for the production of GRMs, the presence of grain boundaries, vacancies and differently oriented grains, arising in such growths, substantially affect the crystal quality. This is unavoidably reflected in the physical properties of the GRMs which by definition depend stronger on the interatomic position of the few neighboring atoms as compared to bulk materials. There is currently no easily applicable, non-invasive, fast characterization method for determining with high-resolution these grain boundaries and orientations, over a large sample area. Our goal is to assess whether or not an optical technique could serve as a robust tool for early identification of common imperfections in the crystal structure of GRMs, during production. Furthermore, to get the produced GRMs back to the tray and provide quantitative feedback in real time, so that one can optimize crystal quality while still performing the growth. For this purpose, we will use polarization resolved second-harmonic generation (PSHG) optical microscopy for the eventual mapping of grain boundaries and crystal orientations, thus determining optically the crystalline quality of the produced GRMs.
Principal Investigator
Scientific Staff
Alumni
The main goal of the project is to assess whether or not an optical technique could serve as a robust tool for early identification of common imperfections in the crystal structure of GRMs, during production. Furthermore, the goal is to get the produced GRMs back to the tray and provide quantitative feedback in real time, so that one can optimize crystal quality while still performing the growth.
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IQONIC will offer a scalable zero defect manufacturing platform covering the overall process chain of optoelectrical parts. IQONIC covers the design of new optoelectrical components and their optimized process chain, their assembly process, as well as their disassembly and reintroduction into the value chain. IQONIC will therefore comprise new hardware and software components interfaced with the current facilities through internet of things and data management platforms, while being orchestrated through scalable strategies at component, work-station and shopfloor level.
DIAGNOSE to early detect the different characteristics of the new part to be produced in terms of material sensitivity and product design parameters,
PREVENT to prevent the defect generation by recalibrating the production line, as well as defect propagation in later stages of the production,
PREDICT to predict the defect generation and the expected quality, allowing modifications to the parameters before the production of the products,
SUSTAIN to plan the reworking or remanufacturing of the product, if this is possible, and its re-use and/or requalification.
ADJUST to adapt the process chains to the specific production requirements of each new part through an iterative process until the quality is acceptable.
MANAGE to manage the aforementioned strategies through event modelling, KPI monitoring and real-time decision support system.
DETECT to early detect the defect, to adapt the part parameters to the previous successful state and plan to send it either to downstream or upstream stage.
REDESIGN to provide feedback for the design performance and knowledge to future parts and iterations to better products and process chain.
Principal Investigator
Alumni
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating pathology with dramatic lifetime consequences affecting thousands of people worldwide. Therefore, and considering the very limited regeneration ability of the central nervous system, in this project we propose to develop a neural tissue engineered scaffold capable of not only combining fibrous and porous topographic cues in order to mimic the morphology of the native spinal cord, but also potentiating the properties of graphene related materials (GRM) supported in a protein-rich decellularized matrix (adECM). In fact, the suggested 3D microenvironment should present electrical, chemical, mechanical and topographic features able to preserve neural cell survival and enhance neural progenitor cell differentiation towards neuronal and glial cells. Progress in this sense will contribute to a better understanding of the key factors controlling repair in damaged neural tissues and, consequently, bring insights into new therapeutic approaches for spinal cord recovery.
NeuroStimSpinal aims at developing a treatment for patients after spinal cord injury (SCI). SCI results in para- and tetraplegia caused by the partial or complete disruption of descending motor and ascending sensory neurons. It leads to devastating consequences such as sensory loss, paralysis and bowel/bladder dysfunctions. Different strategies have been proven at research level. However, today there is no effective SCI therapy that can entirely restore neuromotor deficits.
More information of the official website: https://www.neurostimspinal.eu/
General Information:
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. It was submitted to the call H2020-FETOPEN-2018-2020, topic FETOPEN-01-2018-2019-2020, and its type of action is RIA.
Project Title: A Step Forward To Spinal Cord Injury Repair Using Innovative Stimulated Nanoengineered Scaffolds
Short Name: NeuroStimSpinal
Grant Agreement No: 829060
Coordinator: Paula Alexandrina de Aguiar Pereira Marques, TEMA, Mechanical Engineering Department, University de Aveiro, Portugal
Total Budget: EUR 3 518 962.50
Consortium Partners:
1. UNIVERSIDADE DE AVEIRO (UAVR), AVEIRO, Portugal
2. FUNDACION TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATION (Tecnalia), DONOSTIA SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain
3. UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID (UCM), MADRID, Spain
4. STICHTING KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT (Radboudumc), NIJMEGEN, Netherlands
5. FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY HELLAS (FORTH), HERAKLION, Greece
6. GRAPHENEST SA (Graphenest), Paradela do Vouga, Portugal
7. STEMMATTERS, Biotecnologia e Medicina Regenerativa SA (Stemmatters), BARCO, Portugal
The long-term vision of this proposal is to contribute with a solution for spinal cord injury (SCI) which can lead to severe motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunction. Currently, there is no effective treatment for the SCI1 and people are forced to severe loss of autonomy. The long-term target or scientific breakthrough to be achieved in the proposal is to get the regeneration of the spinal cord (SC) nervous tissue by means of the implantation of an innovative biomaterial in the traumatic injury point that is able to promote the grow and reconnection of the ruptured nerves. This is a long-term ambitious objective and to achieve it, is to demonstrate at TRL4 (in vivo animal) the suitability of the innovative biomaterial developed by the consortium (at TRL2). The long term clinical goal of research in SCI is to support healing or regeneration of SC.
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Research Associates
Alumni
Funding
