Call: Design of Materials with Atomic Precision

Materials sciences is a field of fundamental research which encompasses a diverse range of research areas with a wide set of applications relevant to our daily lives, society and industry. The development of nano and atomic scale technology, especially (multi-) functional materials design, is key to unlocking the potential of diverse and transversal technologies such as ubiquitous computing, wireless sensors networks with reliable communication protocols, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) in order to solve pressing issues related to the environment, resource use, energy production and storage, medicine, preventive and diagnostic care, health, smart manufacturing and other areas.

Materials designed with intrinsic properties specifically tailored to the target application thanks to the deliberate manipulation/modification of their structure and composition at an atomic level, will bring a step forward in the field of multi-functional advanced materials design and development for multiple social and industrial applications.
In the design of (multi-) functional materials, the properties and functions of the resulting materials are determined not only by their composition, but also by how they are arranged on a molecular and atomic level, an area of research which remains relatively unexplored. This call for proposals is focused on this area of research, an area of fundamental research which looks at how materials are constructed
at their molecular and atomic level in order to deliver a certain desired combination of chemical, physical, mechanical, and bioscientific functionalities.

Which countries and institutions are participating?

The following national and regional funding organisations have agreed to participate in this joint call, leveraging their national and regional R&D programmes and applying their respective funding regulations:

Bulgaria: Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF)
Czech Republic: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS)
Czech Republic: Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Hungary: National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH)
Japan: Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
Poland: National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR)
Slovakia: Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS)
Spain: Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI)
Türkiye: The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBITAK)

How should project consortia be composed?

Each project consortium submitting an application should consist of at least 3 eligible beneficiaries (project partners), 1 from Japan and 2 from two different European countries participating in the Joint Call.

Partner Search Tool

In order to facilitate the process of forming research consortia, we offer applicants a Partner Search Tool – Partfinder available here: https://partfinder.ncbr.gov.pl/. This tool can be used by projects looking for partners and partners looking for projects.

Can researchers from other European institutions participate?

Researchers and research teams from other European institutions may participate as additional partners in a project consortium if they can prove that they have secured funding from other sources that allows them to fulfil their obligations within the consortium. A confirmation letter of the external sponsoring institution has to be submitted at the time of proposal submission.

What if I have questions?

If you have questions, please contact the EIG Concert-Japan Program Secretariat, Ms. Lea Debraux, at concert-japan-jcs@cnrs.fr, or the National and Regional Contact Person for your country or region.