Multifunctional & Integrated Piezoelectric Devices
Proposal / Contract NoE 515757-2
NMP-2003-3.4.2.1.1. Understanding Materials Phenomena
(under NMP-2. Knowledge-based Multifunctional Materials, NMP-2.1 Development of fundamental knowledge)
Publishable final activity report
Period covered: from 01.03.2005 to 28.02.2010 Date of preparation: 15.07.2010
Start date of the project: 01.03.2005 Duration: 60 months
Project coordinator name: Ms Wanda W. Wolny
Project coordinator organization name: MEGGITT Ferroperm Piezoceramics A/S
Revision: [draft 1]
1. Project execution
The MIND network was established to address the problem of fragmentation of research activity and expertise across academic and industrial groups in Europe in the field of piezoelectric materials and devices and to consolidate the research activity in this field via establishing a Durable Integrated Structure (DIS) – the Piezo Institute.
General objective of project:
· To establish a sustainable structure (the Piezo Institute) to enhance the research and application of piezoelectric technologies, and to proof its self-sustainability,
· To increase understanding of phenomena in piezoelectric materials and structures, and to apply this knowledge to the design of new and improved devices such as:
1. Sensors - Force, motion, acceleration, pressure, temperature, infrared radiation, chemical, biological,
2. Transducers - Medical imaging, therapy, blood flow measurements, non-destructive evaluation and testing, industrial flow meters, underwater acoustics, airborne acoustics, SAW & BAW filters and resonators for telecommunications,
3. Active devices - Actuators, micro-motors, micro-pumps, vibration control, noise reduction, hearing aids for handicapped, fuel injectors for diesel engines, inkjet printer heads, production of energy from natural motion,
4. Energy saving and recovering devices.
The project was planned in 4 phases:
1. Sharing of resources to determine the legal and operational structures of the Piezo Institute. Completed M12.
2. Legal creation started and publication of the Business Plan of the Piezo Institute. Completed M24.
3. Pilot implementation of the Piezo Institute based on the Business Plan. Completed M36.
4. Full commercial implementation of the Piezo Institute M48-M60. Completed M60.
This was consequently done through:
· Sharing of scientific knowledge, expertise, equipment and experimental facilities,
· Exchanges between scientists, managers and students,
· Professional training programmes, organized for the network’s members,
· Development of common management processes and research strategies via preparation of detailed Research Road Map (The White Book), in the field of piezoelectric materials and devices,
· Regular public events, organized by the Piezo Institute with close collaboration of all partners of the network, such as international conferences and workshops,
· Stimulating the flow of information through
- Regular meetings, workshops and training courses,
- Interactive online data portal, with resources database, documents exchange facility etc.,
· A professional communication programme,
· Establishment of joint education and training degrees at Masters and PhD level,
· Establishment of partnership with other networks and institutions, working in the field of Material Science and Technology.
All three joint activities in MIND NoE: Joint Program of Integration (JPI), Joint Program of Research (JPR), and Joint Program of Spreading (JPS) were carried out to support the effective integration in the network and to support the durable independent structure – the Piezo Institute. The overall objective was to create a multisite self-sustained organization in the field of piezoelectric materials and devices – the Piezo Institute, and it was approached through the following topics:
· Integration of the European expertise in the field piezoelectric materials and devices,,
· Joint Infrastructure and Joint Management Body,
· Joint Research Road Map (RRM) and annually updated strategy for the Joint Research Activity,
· Joint training and educational programs,
· Joint commercial services,
· Tailored membership program,
· Joint spreading activities,
· Public events organized by the Piezo Institute and regular promotional actions,
· De-fragmentation of the research activity in the field of piezoelectric materials and devices.
As a result of joint work during M1-M60 period, the consortium has launched a new durable structure – the Piezo Institute (www.piezoinstitute.com).
The Piezo Institute has been registered in Belgium in August 2008, with the help of Belgium law firm - MB & P. The Piezo Institute has become fully financially independent after the end of EC funding in March 2010.
The proof of concept of the financial sustainability of the Piezo Institute was approached during the last year of MIND NoE operation via development of the extensive membership program, which is foreseen as the main source of future income for the Institute at the beginning of its operation, development of the industrial training program, which is used for the promotion of the Piezo Institute, and negotiation of in-kind commitment from all core members of the Piezo Institute. All these were reflected in the Piezo Institute’s business plan, which is constantly updated on the regular basis.
Most network members, chosen to ensure representation of all relevant scientific disciplines, have committed their organizations to the creation of the institute and have become members of the Board of Directors of the Piezo Institute. Ms Wanda Wolny (MEGGITT Ferroperm Piezoceramics A/S) has been appointed as a President and Secretary General of the Piezo Institute Mr Marc Lethiecq (Université François-Rabelais de Tours) has been appointed as Technical Director, and Ms Pia Jauch (MEGGITT Ferroperm Piezoceramics A/S) as a Treasurer of the Piezo Institute.
To strengthen the competitiveness of the Institute and to widen its expertise coverage, a number of contributing associated members (CAM) were identified and registered. Three European universities and two European research organizations have signed the contract with the Piezo Institute and have become the contributing associated members of the Institute. Three industrial companies have become the user members – partners of the Piezo Institute, and paid the agreed membership fee.
To ensure the smoothness of the negotiation process with the potential Associated Members of the Piezo Institute, dedicated Associated Membership contracts and NDA was prepared. It has been also agreed to use an individual approach to all potential Associated Members of the Piezo Institute, taking advantage of their contribution into the consortium and the Piezo Institute, so that in each single case the present contract can be tailored to ensure an optimal way of mutual cooperation.
The first international conference - Piezo 2009 Electroceramics for End Users IV was organized by the Piezo Institute in Zakopane, Poland at the beginning of March 2009, and attracted about 100 participants from Europe, Asia, and US. The second international conference – Piezo 2011 Electroceramics for End Users V will be organized by the Piezo Institute in the beginning of March 2011 in Sestriere – the Olympic ski resort, in Torino region, Italy.
Roadmaps for joint programmes of research – the Piezo Institute’s white book, integration and spreading – and a professional communication work package – were guiding the activities of the network and the institute as they build research capacity, create management structures and identify new sources of income.
The achievements of MIND NoE can be summarized as follows:
· Legal and administrative implementation of the European Institute of Piezoelectric Materials and Devices (Piezo Institute) – including a final business plan, updated on the basis of market research analysis available was finalized.
· All legal documents, necessary for the formal registration of the Piezo Institute were prepared and agreed upon. This includes Declaration of acceptance of all directors of the Piezo Institute, Procuration - Acte Constitutif – AISBL, necessary for formal registration of the association, and proxy letters from all of the founding partners of the Piezo Institute.
· The Piezo Institute was formally registered and stared its operation on the regular basis.
· The Piezo Institute bank account was opened in Nordea Bank Denmark A/S (Euro account).
· Ms Wanda Wolny (MEGGITT Ferroperm Piezoceramics A/S) has been appointed as a President and Secretary General of the Piezo Institute Mr Marc Lethiecq (Université François-Rabelais de Tours) has been appointed as Technical Director, and Ms Pia Jauch (MEGGITT Ferroperm Piezoceramics A/S) as a Treasurer of the Piezo Institute.
· Policy preparation for integration of European expertise through our Contributing Associated membership. This includes dedicated Associated Membership contracts and NDA agreement, which have been prepared with the help of Ferroperm’s third party organization - Rønne & Lundgren.
· Strengthening the durability of the new organization via marketing research activity. Two market analysis reports were acquired from Frost & Sullivan and iRap and the Piezo Institute’s business plan has been updated.
· Research Road Map (the Piezo Institute’s white book) in the field of piezoelectric materials and devices was prepared.
· The membership program was updated in accordance with the current situation in the market.
· Five contributing members (CAM), three industrial partners (UAM), and a number of Correspondent Members (CM) were registered.
· The in-kind contribution for all core members of the Piezo Institute was detailed and agreed upon.
· The first international conference - Piezo 2009 Electroceramics for End Users IV was organized by the Piezo Institute in Zakopane, Poland at the beginning of March 2009, and attracted 100 participants from Europe, Asia, and US.
· The second international conference – Piezo 2011 Electroceramics for End Users V will be organized by the Piezo Institute in the beginning of March 2011 in Sestriere – the Olympic ski resort, in Turino region, Italy.
· A number of workshops were organized by the Piezo Institute, to share the knowledge and expertise inside the MIND consortium and to improve the durability of the new integrated structure – the Piezo Institute.
2. Dissemination and use
The MIND NoE knowledge Dissemination or Spreading objectives was covering four groups:
· Academics
· Industry
· Students
· The Public
The main objective of the Joint Programme of Spreading was to create a visibility for the institute, and establish its status as a provider of expertise in piezoelectric materials and devices. A central aim of the spreading programme was to investigate and propose services that generate income for the institute.
Dissemination of knowledge
Planned/ actual dates / Type / Type of audience / Countries addressed / Size of audience / Partner responsible/ involved /M1-M60 / Media relations, including press releases and press briefings:
The MIND project and Piezo Institute featured in several high-profile national and international publications as a result of press releases and press briefings. These included a special report in the International Herald Tribune (print and online), the New York Times (online) and the Financial Times (print and online). There was also a substantial feature in The Guardian newspaper and the Piezo Institute was featured on the science and technology pages of BBC Online. The project and the Piezo Institute also featured in specialist publications such as Materials World.
Further details available in deliverable reports compiled annually and at the conclusion of the project / Industry, govt, scientists, public / Europe and international / 15 million / NPL
M1-M60 / Conferences and exhibitions: The MIND project, the Piezo Institute, and members of the project enjoyed a high-profile presence at a number of international events, including conferences and exhibitions. Project members regularly contributed papers to events, promoted the project and the institute using an exhibition stand, and displayed posters, brochures and newsletters. Events attended included:
Piezo 2009 – Electroceramics for End Users IV
Dielectrics
PFM workshop
IMF/ISAF
IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium
International Conference on Electroceramics
EMA
Further details available in deliverable reports compiled annually and at the conclusion of the project / Industry and scientists / Europe and international / 100,000 / All partners
M1-M60 / Publications
Newsletters: A 12-page newsletter was distributed at events and by mail, featuring technical reports, project updates and features about commercial applications of piezo technology. Six newsletter were produced during the lifetime of the project. The print run for the newsletter was 2,000 and it was available electronically for download from the project website.
Brochure: A comprehensive brochure was created and regularly updated to provide information to the academic and industrial piezo community, and to members of the Piezo Institute.
Further details available in deliverable reports compiled annually and at the conclusion of the project / Industry and scientist / Europe and international / Estimated 250,000 / NPL with support from all partners
M1-M60 / Project website: The MIND project and Piezo Institute website became a key portal for communication with the wider industrial and academic piezo community, and with institute members. A system was developed to manage website statistics and to manage relationships with members. Traffic to the website increased each month, reaching more than 4,000 hits by January 2010. The website featured project information, applications, event listings, membership information, news stories and downloadable reports.
Further details available in deliverable reports compiled annually and at the conclusion of the project / Industry, scientist, partners, members, government and public / Europe and international / 4,000 hits monthly / NPL with support from all partners
M1-M60 / Posters: Posters promoting the MIND project and the Piezo Institute were created for display at conferences and exhibitions (see above).
Further details available in deliverable reports compiled annually and at the conclusion of the project / Industry and scientist / Europe and international / 100,000 / NPL
M1-M60 / Direct mailing: The MIND project and Piezo Institute established an efficient content management system which was used to distribute news, information, event content, technical updates and invitations to members, subscribers and other interested parties.
Further details available in deliverable reports compiled annually and at the conclusion of the project / Industry, membership, scientist / Europe and international / Unlimited / NPL and Ferroperm
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