About the Project

The main purpose of the proposed project is to address specific and well-defined shortcomings of the newly established national Materials Science and Nanotechnology Institute (UNAM) of Turkey. Through this project, the Institute will reach its full potential for research and technological innovation and emerge as an internationally competitive centre of excellence, integrated firmly into the European Research Area, by the time of the completion of this project.

Motivation

Motivations for this proposal can be summarized as follows:

1. Funding for travel (both directions) between UNAM and similar European institutions to enact integration of UNAM into the European Research Area. Organization of conferences, workshops and highly specialized short courses by renowned experts. Sending students to leading laboratories in Europe and hosting students coming to use the facilities of UNAM through joint projects.
2. Creation of PhD-level positions aimed at two demographic groups, young European PhDs and young Turkish nationals receiving PhDs in large numbers and remaining in the USA for lack of options in Turkey.
3. Acquisition an optical system to provide much needed analysis capability in optical characterization.
4. Support efforts underway to establish a professional governance mechanism for UNAM, based on the most successful models adopted at comparable centres and institutes in Europe.
5. Continued outreach to high-school students to foster interest in science and technology through summer courses, seminars at top high schools, school tours of UNAM laboratories. Continued outreach to the public, through announcement of milestone accomplishments, popular articles written in newspaper and magazines such as Bilim ve Teknik and public lectures.
6. As a result of all these efforts, UNAM scientists and through UNAM, all scientists working in materials science, nanoscience and nanotechnology in Turkey will be better equipped, better connected, and thus greatly strengthened for further participation in FP7 programmes.
7. Through reaching all of the goals outlined above, transformation of UNAM from a young national centre of excellence to a regional focal point will materialise and UNAM will be firmly integrated into the European Research Area.

About UNAM

UNAM is the conceptual out growth of the Advanced Research Labs of the Physics Department Founded in 1992. Its members have performed outstanding research in many areas of semiconductor physics (for example, phonon decay and luminescence in binary and ternary chalcogenides) and devices (for example, photodetectors and laser diodes), integrated optics (ring resonators) as well as in new materials (metamaterials and photonic band gap materials) and atomic probe microscopy (for example, atomic force microscopy and Hall probe microscopy). The fine team of its graduates have taken up highly coveted positions all over the world.

Unfortunately, little has been invested in new capital equipment since its inception and only extreme care has kept the operation running which now serves 10 professors and over 45 Ph.D. students and postdocs. UNAM is a bigger operation, not only serving the full fledged faculty of science but it is open nationally to all qualified researchers. Furthermore, UNAM is an interdisciplinary centre with researchers from physics, chemistry, molecular biology, materials science, mechanical and electrical engineering. This array of disciplines and the entailing number of researchers forces UNAM to provide a range of services to its users. On the one hand, it has to provide state-of-the-art research equipment and on the other, it has to provide the necessary scientific atmosphere where experts from abroad visit the centre, deliver lectures, teach short courses and participate in experiments while UNAM workers travel abroad to present their results to meet the challenge of cross examination and meet their counterparts.

UNAM in its charter envisions the development of prototypes in niche areas of technology that are innovative with the aim of encouraging SMEs to pick up the technology and commercialize it. Considering that Bilkent University campus houses a "technopark" with over 40 000 m2 of enclosed space which is home to over two hundred SMEs. The campus of METU, within a few minutes of driving distance from Bilkent University boast an even bigger technopark and Hacettepe University with its campus adjacent to Bilkent University has a slightly smaller technopark. Close interaction is therefore very feasible and geographical proximity of UNAM to such a large number of SMEs is extremely promising.

Despite significant recent funding, the size and ambitions of UNAM as a national facility dwarfs what could be committed for in a short amount of time. Furthermore, almost all of the resources available are targeted funds which concern hardware and graduate student salaries. Little, if any, of the funds sought after allow travel money to attend conferences or workshops, to invite speakers from abroad, to support building maintenance, to build machine shop infrastructure, to seek calibration services and upkeep of equipment. The investment of equipment by funding agencies and the construction of the building by Bilkent University needs to be supported in all areas mentioned above for UNAM to function as an internationally recognized centre of excellence integrated to European Research Area.

Finally, continuity of excellence in UNAM depends on its perception in the eyes of the community as well as in the eyes of its young students who will be the next generation scientists of this centre. Public and high school outreach is therefore very important.

For further information: UNAM Webpage