OPUS and PRELUDIUM grants for 11 researchers from the Silesian University of Technology

Eleven grants from the OPUS and PRELUDIUM program of the National Science Centre were awarded this year to scientists from the Silesian University of Technology. The total amount of co-financed projects is over PLN 17 million.

We are pleased to inform that as many as 11 scientists of the Silesian University of Technology received funding for conducting their research from grants of the National Science Centre. In the OPUS and PRELUDIUM competitions, a total of 11 projects were funded, including two from the Faculty of Chemistry, the Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Physics - Centre for Science and Education, and the Biotechnology Centre, as well as one from the Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Science and the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering.

In the OPUS call, funding was awarded to:

· Prof. Dr Hab. Eng Andrzej Chydziński, project entitled “The effect of buffers on single flows on the Internet,” value: 596,580 PLN.

· Prof. Dr Hab. Eng Włodzimierz Wróblewski, project entitled “Development of a roughness model to predict resistance in flows through minicanals using machine learning,” project value: 1,444,480 PLN.

· Dr Hab. Eng. Katarzyna Szymańska, project called “Biocatalysis and photocatalysis in the flow-through synthesis of high-value chemicals,” project value: 1,995,700 PLN.

· Prof. Dr. Marie-Josée Nadeau, project entitled: “Radiocarbon dating in the Middle Ages: New, precise radiocarbon calibration curve with annual resolution for the period of migration of peoples from 450 to 800 AD”, value: 2,199,378 PLN.

· Dr. Hab. Adriana Polańska (Dr Hab. Eng. Joanna Czajkowska), project entitled “Pathophysiological aspects of lichen sclerosus vulvar: A multimodal study of skin architecture and its biophysical properties,” value: 1,601,620 PLN.

· Prof. Dr Eng Khurram Shehzad, project entitled “High-sensitivity, lead-free thick perovskite layers for medical X-ray studies at reduced dose,” value: 3,364,760 PLN.

· Prof. Dr Hab. Marek Łos, project entitled “Effect of structure and porosity of organic polymer-carbon composites modified by thermal and/or graphene-based, on selected physical properties and biological response,” value: 3,499,753 PLN.

The OPUS competition is addressed to a wide range of people. Applications could be submitted by researchers who have at least one (published or accepted for printing) scientific work in their achievements, regardless of their degree or scientific title and without restrictions due to their experience in conducting research.

The pool of awarded grants includes two competitions: OPUS28 + LAP/Weave and OPUS 29, which means that applications for both national research projects and projects involving foreign partners or using international research equipment by Polish teams have been successful.

A special mention deserves the project obtained from the OPUS LAP program, which is even more demanding for scientists. Receiving a grant in this category is prestigious because it has an international dimension. In this edition, a scientist from the Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering was successful. The whole project activities will

be led by Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Jacek Leszczyński from AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków and the work of the Silesian University of Technology team will be managed by Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Ireneusz Szczygieł. The funding is for the project entitled: “Multidirectional research and optimization of gas expansion dynamics in a system composed of a storage of mechanical energy, heat and expander in micro-CAES systems,” which amounts to PLN 1 918 979

In turn, in the PRELUDIUM competition, in which young researchers, without a PhD degree, may apply for funds to finance their research, 3 scientists of the Silesian University of Technology received funding:

· MSc. Eng. Olga Kocikowska, project entitled “The antioedema effect of empagliflozin in the cellular OGD/R ischemic stroke model in the lab-on-a-chip system,” value: 210,000 PLN.

· MSc. Eng. Paulina Sowik, project entitled: “Solar-initiated micro pollution degradation: A modern sulphate radical approach supporting environmental protection and water quality improvement,” value: 210,000 PLN.

· MSc. Eng. Dominik Kust, project entitled “Influence of conductive polymers on reactivity of single-wall carbon nanotubes,” value: 209,919 PLN.

A team of employees of the Project Management Centre of the Silesian University of Technology would like to express their congratulations and appreciation for the beneficiaries, for whom the success of the projects is a proof of professionalism, commitment and effective joint effort put into the development of scientific initiatives of both scientific teams and project administrators at the University.

We congratulate all scientists and wish them success at the stage of project implementation!