The MSCA COFUND DOC-FAM program, coordinated by the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), has closed its first call for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie predoctoral grants.

In total, 10 Early Stage Researchers (ESR) will start their PhD: 5 at the ICMAB-CSIC, 2 at the IREC and 3 at the ALBA Synchrotron, during the 2018-2019 year and for a duration of 3 years.

These three centers offer a multidisciplinary, multicultural and stimulating environment, with access to state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for the personal and professional development of the Early Stage Researchers.

The projects in which they will participate are:

ICMAB-CSIC:

• Computational workflows for structural and electronic properties of materials (Dr. Alberto García)
• Organic radical-based nanoparticles (OR-NPs) with novel multiferroic characteristics as new therapeutic agents (Dr. Inma Ratera, Prof. Jaume Veciana)
• Ultra-high field conductors for accelerators physics (Dr. Joffré Gutiérrez, Prof. Teresa Puig)
• Evaluation of biocompatible nanoparticles for biomedical applications using the model organism C. elegans (Dr. Anna Laromaine)
• Development of new optically active boron clusters-based fluorophores as good candidates for two-photon absorption spectroscopy (Prof. Rosario Núñez)

ALBA Synchrotron:

• Functional food investigation by synchrotron emission and absorption spectroscopy (Dr. Laura Simonelli)
• Syncrotron powder diffraction on operando batteries at non-ambient temperature conditions (Dr. Francois Fauth) 
• Designed modular nanobiotechnological tools to detect and interfere with the key signaling pathway of heart fibrosis in vivo (Dr. Eva Pereiro)

IREC:

• Atomic scale modification of catalysts for carbon dioxide recycling (Dr. Teresa Andreu, Prof. Juan Ramón Morante)
• Advanced photoelectrodes for next generation of solar energy storage: photobatteries (Dr. Teresa Andreu, Prof. Juan Ramón Morante)

In October 2018 the second call for proposals will open, offering 12 fellowships distributed between the ICMAB-CSIC, the ALBA Synchrotron, the IREC, the IMB-CNM-CSIC and the ICN2.

The DOC-FAM program ("DOCtoral training programme in Functional Advanced Materials") is the first COFUND program of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (H2020-MSCA-DP-2016) granted to the State Agency National Council of Scientific Research (CSIC) in all its history.

This excellent training program is coordinated by the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence, in collaboration with several institutions of its environment: ALBA Synchrotron; Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2); Institute of Energy Research of Catalonia (IREC) and Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC).

All information about the program can be found on its website: https://projects.icmab.es/docfam/