The FIP are an an internal call of proposals for researchers of the Institute aimed for the development of high-risk exploratory projects of interdisciplinary character to generate cutting-edge research in the application areas of clean & secure energy, smart & sustainable electronics or smart nanomedicine. FIP projects aim to reinforce the internal links and scientific critical mass of ICMAB's researchers, and to contribute to strenghen the international leadership of the Institute in the area of functional materials.

The researchers of the Institute are able to propose innovative and risky ideas with potential to end up in the market, "proof-of-concept" trials based on previously obtained results or novel ideas for radically new technologies. The projects will run for 1 or 2 years, and can be individual or collaborative (between researchers of different research groups). 

The granted FIP projects of this call 2018 are the following: 

Individual FIP:

• José Vidal: Developing New Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Xavier Torrelles: Oxide Surfaces with catalytic activity in switchable films by reversal ferroelectric polarization of the substrate

Collaborative FIP:

• José Giner and Concepción Domingo: Exploring the limits of the uniqueness of hierarchical hybrid adsorbents for energy applications 
• Arántzazu González and Ana M. López-Periago: Preparation of bifunctional nanodevices for photodynamic therapy obtained from surface anchored Metal Organic Frameworks using sustainable CO₂ technology 
• Anna Palau and Narcís Mestres: Reversible switching of superconductor-insulator transition for green electronic devices 
• Florencio Sánchez and Ignasi Fina: HfO2-based EPItaxial ferroelectric tunnel junction MEMories integrated with Si(001) 
• Alberto Pomar and Benjamín Martínez: All-oxide heterostructures for pure spin currents generation and detection
• Jaume Veciana and Paula Mayorga: Higher efficient charge-transport induced by chiral perchlorotriphenylmethyl radical based

Proof of concept FIP:

• Joffre Gutiérrez: High field superconductors’ technology for particle accelerators

Congratulations to all the granted researchers! 

More information:

• FIP Call 2018 (February 2018)
• Eight Frontier Interdisciplinary Projects granted in the second internal call within the FUNMAT Severo Ochoa programme (July 2017)
• ICMAB launches the first internal call of Frontier Interdisciplinary Projects (FIP) within the Severo Ochoa programme (May 2016) 

ICMAB-CSIC acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the "Severo Ochoa" Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (SEV-2015-0496).