AMO GmbH and RWTH Aachen University are partner of 2Exciting, an Innovative Training Network funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions with the goal of raising a new generation of experts in the field of 2D semiconductors.
Technologies based on two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have the potential of facilitating the next generation of innovations in electronics and photonics – as well as in many other fields of applications, from sensor technology to catalysis. Europe is excellently placed in this area of research, but to enable industrial applications of 2D semiconductors in the near future, it is urgent to raise a new generation of highly qualified researchers with specific experience in the field. This is where the European Training Network 2Exciting comes in.
Funded under the umbrella of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions with a € 3.92-billion budget, 2Exciting brings together eight academic groups amongst Europe’s key players in the field of 2D materials and eight companies with very diverse profiles, to train 15 Early Stage Researchers in the field of optoelectronics based on 2D semiconductors. The network provides a unique training programme, covering both scientific and technology aspects, as well as complementary skills such as technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and public outreach. Each researcher will furthermore have the possibility of experiencing first-hand both the academic and the industrial environments, thanks to a well-designed exchange programme between the different partners of the network.
“The strength of 2Exciting is its mix of academic and non-academic partners, and its declared ambition to form a generation of researchers that can move seamlessly between the two worlds”, says Prof. Max Lemme, scientific director at AMO GmbH and head of the Chair for Electronic Devices (ELD) at RWTH Aachen University. “The field of 2D materials has developed into one where the boundaries between fundamental and applied research are often blurred. It is important to sensitize young researchers to always view their research with an eye on applications. But also not to be afraid to take detours and explore different directions, to actively look for interdisciplinary collaborations, and to be ready to learn new skills when needed. That’s a spirit we are already cultivating at AMO, RWTH Aachen Univeristy and at the Aachen Graphene & 2D Materials Center, and I’m very glad to be part of a network that pursue the same approach on the European scale.”
Coordinated by Prof. Thomas Heine (TU Dresden), 2Exciting counts among its beneficiaries and partners TU Dresden, CNRS (France), Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Poland), CSIC (Spain), the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague (Czech Republic), EPFL Lausanne (Switzerland), Politecnico di Milano (Italy), Software for Chemistry & Materials B.V. (The Netherlands), Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), AMO GmbH (Germany), HQ Graphene (The Netherlands), Oxford Instruments Nanotechnology Tools (United Kingdom), Scixel (Spain), NenoVision (Czech Republic), SYNPO (Czech Republic), Nanores (Poland), RWTH Aachen University (Germany), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (The Netherlands), l’Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier (France), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain). More information about the project can be found on the project homepage.
2Exciting is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 956813.