India - Norway partnership for research and education in materials for energy and environment

Situasjonen med covid-19 som forhindret fremdrift av prosjektet i 2020, har dessverre fortsatt i 2021, i Norge og i India. Vi har dermed ikke kunne gjennomføre store deler av våre planer. Dessverre er det slik at flere av midlertidige medarbeidere i prosjektet (studenter; master/PhD, pdocs) også avslutter sine studier/kontrakter. Dermed er kontinuitet er en utfordring mhp utveksling, og med hensyn på samarbeid som innebærer fysik tilstedeværelse. Heldigvis har vi en bred og solid stab av faste vitenskapelige/forskere, noe som medfører at vi gjennomført noen små, men viktige samarbeidstiltak, og har også et fundament for videreføring og ny giv. Vi har hatt en indisk PhD på utveksling i forbindelse med at han allerede var i Norge med indisk finansiering. Vi har utvekslet prøver, og gjort målinger i hverandres laboratorier, og ved internasjonale anlegg, vi skriver felles publikasjoner. Vi har begge veier bidratt til resultater som har og vil inngå som resultater i PhD avhandlinger. men i det store og hele, så har prosjektet naturligvis hatt en tung periode pga nedstegning og manglende reisemuligheter.

Directly related to our education and research efforts at UiO in the field of materials for energy and environment we will establish an extensive collaboration with three Indian institutions; JNCASR, Bangalore; Anna University, Chennai and CUTN, Thiruvarur. UiO is a stronghold in this field under the umbrellas of Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology and the "UiO energy" effort, and is a key partner of several nationally prioritized efforts as well as ongoing researcher projects funded by RCN. Our objective is a strong collaboration on education and training of master/PhDs with due focus on topics that underpin innovative solutions for sustainable technology. We will benefit from the strong expertise in materials/nano science at JNCASR as well on computational materials science more generally (all Indian partners). This opens an option to integrate modeling (predictions) by Indian partners with experimental tools and verification at UiO. The educational and research aspects of the project will be closely interwoven. New intensive courses will be established, assuring inter-disciplinarity between Physics, Chemistry, Materials and Nano Science. Curricula and dedicated teaching material will be developed. Hands-on training on computational modelling and on cutting-edge techniques in synthesis and characterization is provided. Joint student supervision (master/PhDs) is planned, including exchange for shorter or longer periods. Exchange of staff is planned, for teachning, supervision and scientific networking and research, including organizing and providing talks at workshops/seminars. Special emphasis is put on means to enhance mobility. A detailed risk analysis is done with suggested modes for mitigation. The scientific part of the collaboration will focus on materials for energy and environment, specifically batteries for energy storage, thermoelectric for energy conversion, absorbents for water cleaning and catalysts for abatement of harmful gases.