Objectives

NETLAS will train 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESR)s at the sites of 14 partners in Europe (as listed on the Tabs of Beneficiaries and Associated Partners at the top of the page).

NETLAS is supported by Marie Curie Actions of the European Commission, with 4.3 million Euros, to create an interdisciplinary and intersectoral European Training Network (ETN). This will provide state-of-the-art research training in the design and build of the next generation of tunable optical sources for optical coherence tomography (OCT) applied to medical imaging and non-destructive testing (NDT). NETLAS will foster training and education of young researchers in a cutting-edge and rapidly expanding hot topic, while developing 12 novel Photonics technologies and their translation into several distinct areas of application. The training and research programme is born out of a strong and clear need to respond to the challenges of providing faster, deeper, higher resolution imaging and more versatile investigation with a smaller footprint (portable), at a low enough cost to stimulate wide adoption.

Training Objectives

The overall training concept within NetLaS is to build a scientific and technology development program comprising multidisciplinary and intersectoral crossovers, combined with complementing scientific educational activities. The following specific training objectives are defined:

  • To enhance the attractiveness of a career in front-line academic and industrial research by delivering a structured training program taught by leading scientists with state-of-the art infrastructure and covering a portfolio of interdisciplinary approaches supporting development of tunable lasers for OCT imaging and testing.
  • To provide academic and private-sector employers with researchers skilled in a wide range of techniques and methods, and direct experience of interaction across disciplines and sectors.
  • To produce researchers with excellent transferable skills and able to transform abstract and challenging ideas into influential and practical outcomes that define the landscape of tunable lasers and their applications.
  • To create an active, long-term network of young researchers whose personal contacts, support and expertise will help Europe in shaping the future of laser technologies and applications.
  • To cascade expertise and spread good practice throughout Europe by personnel exchange, and delivering European researchers with the skills, desire and ability to become leaders in fields of Photonics connected to swept source and their applications, attuned to the needs of industry.

Leadership

NETLAS Coordinator: Professor Adrian Podoleanu

Deputy: Dr. George Dobre

Administration Manager: Dr. Ramona Cernat

Training Structure

NETLAS offers a unique and scientifically cutting-edge Training Programme for young scientists providing an ideal combination of scientific, technical, entrepreneurship, innovation, organizational / “soft” and management skills, provided in 3 categories:

1. Network-wide Training (individual research projects; secondments; joint summer training schools; international conference).

2. Local Training (scientific/technical and transferable skills courses and training activities at their host institutions).

3. External Training (courses; visits; conferences outside the network).