Luxembourg, a world-class location for research, development and innovation

STEP-BY-STEP TOWARDS THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

According to a recent study, 8 out of 10 inhabitants of our country are of the opinion that even as a small country, Luxembourg should invest more in research. Yet the Grand Duchy is already showing an amazing dynamic in this area, as well as in industrial technology. Research, development and innovation are of vital importance for a country’s competitive standing. Therefore, the Luxembourg government has made substantial financial resources available to promote research. Among others, these are managed by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), the main financial backer for young researchers in Luxembourg. Training and teaching at university level is provided first and foremost at the University of Luxembourg, where fundamental research is also carried out. In the area of applied research, which translates scientific knowledge to the needs of industry, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) is a nationally and increasingly even internationally respected institution.

LIST, a workplace for highly talented doctoral candidates

LIST, created in 2015 and with its headquarters at the Maison de l’Innovation at the Belval site in Esch-sur-Alzette, was a result of the merger between the two Centres de Recherche Publics Henri Tudor and Gabriel Lippmann. It has around 600 employees and works closely with the University of Luxembourg and other research protagonists. As a Research and Technology Organization (RTO), whose mission lies in technology transfer, LIST stands for partnerships both in industry and with public institutions. LIST sees its function in the acquisition of new scientific knowledge and its development catering to the needs of private enterprises and the common good.

Concerning the promotion of young researchers, LIST focuses on students who have completed their university studies and aspire to the highest academic degree, the doctorate. With over 75 doctoral researchers, the institute represents a real talent pool for future researchers, developers and industry specialists. Thanks to its constantly increasing importance for the economy, LIST is today an internationally attractive employer, whose researchers work in a number of sought-after niche areas at a world-class level.

With regard to the recruitment of prospective academic doctors, the institute aims to appeal to as many Luxembourgish doctoral researchers as possible. LIST attracts them with the offer of letting them actively participate in social or industrial innovation projects as part of their work. The aim of this is to train young researchers to be high-calibre employees over 3 to 4 years, and to offer them an exciting and industry-oriented workplace during this time and subsequently open up the possibility of crossing over to the private sector as experienced specialists. The combination of relevance to the economy and scientific excellence should serve to motivate top researchers to come to Luxembourg, which can only benefit our country.

Three examples that provide a role model

By 2023, about half the doctoral researchers at LIST will work in two so-called Doctoral Training Units (DTU), as well as in the framework of the FNR’s Industrial Partnership Block Grant Project. Their research topics roughly cover the development of new standards for the international tyre industry, the sustainable use of water resources and research into materials for autonomous sensors and energy sources. The three team leaders presented their respective research projects to the Luxemburger Wort in an informal discussion:

Dr Laurent Pfister is responsible for the Hydro-CSI water project. In this project, we develop technological tools that make it possible, for example, to have reliable predictions concerning the rise and course of water. These predictions range from a few hours for natural catastrophes to projections that consider several decades. The 14 doctoral candidates try to better comprehend the increasing and extreme natural phenomena and develop more robust prediction models. In this way for instance, a new satellite constellation should enable a spatial and temporal observation in an as yet unrivalled quality. LIST also has a unique hydroclimatological observatory in the Alzette catchment area, which is one of the best-equipped water research plants in the world. LIST is leading the Hydro-CSI project in partnership with the TU Wien (AT), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (DE) and Wageningen University (NL), further strengthening the international component.

At 50 million euros, the 5-year long joint undertaking between LIST and Goodyear in the area of the automobile industry is the most expensive research project ever to be commissioned in Luxembourg. Dr Sylvie Fromentin is responsible for the coordination of the project, which since last May, has not only employed many researchers and engineers, but also counts 16 PhD researchers, with 12 more to join the project by 2018. The project aims to set new international standards by optimizing tyre materials and therefore binds not only Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operations SA in Colmar-Berg but also the whole Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company with its headquarters in Akron (Ohio). The research work will focus on both properties and driving characteristics, such as tyre contact on snow.

In contrast to the European Hydro-CSI project and the public-private partnership with Goodyear, Massena is a 100% Luxembourgish joint undertaking between LIST and the University. It is led by Dr Emmanuel Defay and Prof. Siebentritt from the University of Luxembourg, who along with 22 PhD researchers, develop new materials for autonomous sensors and their energy recuperation. The above-mentioned sensors are key components of smartphones, as well as being used in the automobile industry and in modern computers. Since these are key technologies worldwide, this project also aims to attract the best possible doctoral candidates to Luxembourg.

Source: Reportage published in the German edition of the Luxemburger Wort on 27/10/2017 
Article and photo credit: Lucien Wolff