Volume: Vol2, Issue 2/2013

Published on: Jun 2013

Contains 15 articles

The National Institute for Research and Development in Materials Physics-towards the excellence in research

 

Authors

LUCIAN PINTILIE *,1

 

Affiliation

1Institutul Naţional de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Fizica Materialelor

 

 

The National Institute for Research and Development in Materials Physics, shortly NIMP, has been founded in 1996 and in short time became one of the elite institutes in the Romanian research landscape. The Institute is dedicated to theoretical and experimental advanced studies in the field of condensed matter physics, of materials science and nanomaterials. With a staff formed of 150 senior researchers, post-docs and doctoral students, NIMP has an average production of about 160-170 papers per year published in international journals having ISI impact factor. Other publications are: articles in conference volumes, chapters in edited books, patents. These results were possible due to a coherent development policy applied in the last 6-7 years, envisaging the following items: improvement of the material basis, of the research infrastructure respectively; competition based employment and promotion, with multiple eliminatory filters, ensuring a highly qualified human resources, eager to perform in research; the constant increase of the internal and international visibility by opening new collaborations and by adhering to large research projects at European level; a firm opening towards economic agents, either in the frame of partnerships or as service contracts; insurance of a good collaborative environment, encouraging solidarity within the institute; good quality administrative services, designed to help the research activities. This policy starts to produce results in the last 2-3 years, as follows: participation of NIMP in large international projects (FP7, EUROCOR, CERIC); yearly organization of exploratory workshops with the participation of important scientists from abroad; the foundation, under UNESCO patronage, of a center for advanced studies in physics, as an independent unit within NIMP; increase of the total impact factor to about 400 per year in years 2011 and 2012; hiring of about 30 young researchers; provisioning of highly specialized services to internal and international private companies. On the other hand, important scientific results were obtained, such as: evidencing the effect of the ferroelectric polarization on the formation of the metal-ferroelectric interface; development of field affect transistors based on ZnO nanowires with applications in bio sensing; new polymer-carbon nanotubes for energy storage. All these demonstrate that NIMP is on the good track to achieve excellence at European level. This was confirmed also by the maximum qualification rank (A+) obtained at the National institutional evaluation, with a panel composed by 5 reputed scientists from abroad and lead by the executive president of EMRS. The only risk in achieving excellence is related to the total lack of funding predictability at National level.

 

Keywords

Policy of science, Development strategy, Materials science, Infrastructure

Pages

121-131

 

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*Correponding author