Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava - Faculty of Materials Science and Technology based in Trnava is the coordinator of an important project, namely Scientific Research Center of Excellence SlovakION for Materials Science and Interdisciplinary Research (https://teaming.mtf.stuba.sk/).
The general goal of the project is to create a sustainable excellent research and development, innovation and institutional management environment for the implementation of activities in the field of materials research, development of new materials, the latest diagnostic methods, simulations and modeling in materials engineering and material properties and also in ICT, where project activities are focused on signal processing and analysis, simulation and modeling, machine learning, control and signal integration. This activity was created thanks to the support of the Operational Program Integrated Infrastructure 2014-2020 co-financed from the European Regional Development Fund. The strategic goal is to achieve the status of an international scientifically competitive center, especially in the field of materials research using ion beam and plasma technologies, but also in interdisciplinary areas of research and development activities. Industry needs: The SlovakION Center of Excellence will carry out research in the field of preparation of materials that will find usage in various applications, e.g. automotive industry, optics, electrical engineering, photovoltaics, or specific display technologies, production technologies, information and communication technologies, optics, sensors, etc. Ion beam techniques can be considered as a “Swiss Knife” of surface technology as – depending on the ion species, energy and dose – nearly all surface properties (tribologic, optical, electronic, magnetic) of materials can be tailored. Material modification on the nanoscale as well as the treatment of large areas is likewise possible as ion beam and plasma methods are scalable with respect to materials dimension. Moreover, various well-developed ion beam analysis methods are able to characterize the elemental composition of materials. This delivers an enormous potential to applications in various industries.Research is focused on the investigation of the influence of high-energy particles on the mechanisms of degradation in special types of materials (superconducting materials, materials for energy and nuclear reactors with increased resistance to radiation damage) too. It will not be just about innovation of new materials, but the research will also bring automated algorithmic solutions in practice. The results of the project will be applied in economic and social practice by providing solutions that cannot otherwise be verified in economic practice, with an increased ability to solve projects directly for practice. The implementation of projects for practice will create the conditions for a wider involvement of doctoral students as well as students in solving research tasks and thus allow greater use of the scientific potential of young researchers. In terms of material sustainability, the research and development activities of the project will contribute to the development of an excellent workplace and the strengthening of the SlovakION scientific institute. At the same time, the institute is establishing itself in the European Research Area (ERA), which will not only increase the interest of young workers and students to participate in research and development activities, but also it will strengthen the institutes’ position in the ERA. About us:
"The SlovakION project can be considered a standard of Slovak science, it received a high rating in Brussels, and therefore I am very glad that we as a Research Agency can support it," said Stanislav Sipko, Director General of the Research Agency. Source: https://domov.sme.sk/c/22224799/slovenska-technicka-univerzita-ziskala-desat-milionov-na-vyskum.html
"Thanks to these successes, it is possible to create conditions for talented and hard-working people to stay at Slovak universities and not go abroad for better conditions," responded the dean of the faculty, Miloš Čambál. Source: https: //www.aktuality.sk/clanok/728466/slovenska-technicka-univerzita-ziskala-vyskumny-grant-10-milionov-eur/ Project implementation: Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava - Faculty of Materials Science and Technology based in Trnava Contact: Assoc. Prof. Ing. Robert Riedlmajer, PhD. - responsible project leader (robert.riedlmajer@stuba.sk)
