In the current round of applications for the highly competitive Doctoral Networks under the European MSCA funding programme (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions), the European Research Executive Agency (REA) received 946 applications, of which 158 particularly highly rated project proposals were ultimately selected for funding. Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences (HSRW) was also successful. It has been awarded European funding to establish a doctoral network in the field of neural prostheses and brain research (DONUT) and will lead a large consortium of academic project partners from seven different EU Member States.
During the contract signing, project leader Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ivan Volosyak was visibly proud: “The fact that we have received such funding is primarily thanks to the recently established North Rhine-Westphalia Doctoral College (PK NRW). Usually, this EU funding programme is reserved for large universities and research institutions, not universities of applied sciences. It was only through the PK NRW that we were able to apply for the funding in the first place,” emphasises the Professor of Biomedicine and Engineering at the Faculty of Technology and Bionics. Since 15 May 2017, he has been a member of the Graduate Institute for Applied Research at the Universities of Applied Sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia, which was recently transferred to the PK NRW. He has been actively involved in supervising PhD students for many years.
The DONUT project aims to train and connect talented young researchers within the framework of a European, multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral doctoral network (DN). It is intended to serve as a springboard for the EU partners’ expansion into the rapidly developing field of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology and the associated scientific disciplines. The DN will draw on the complementary expertise of seven academic and eight associated partners from eight EU countries to guide its ten doctoral candidates (DCs) in tackling fundamental problems in brain research through the development of various BCI applications and systems using the latest technological advances.
A BCI is an interface that enables the human brain to communicate directly with external devices or computers without the need for physical movements. This modern technology has the potential to improve the lives of people with physical disabilities, for example by controlling prosthetics or enabling communication for people with severe paralysis.
Through collaboration between academic and associated partners, the network possesses the necessary multidisciplinary expertise to tackle the complex challenges in brain research. The project has the potential to yield significant findings that could have a positive impact on the quality of life of various population groups, including people with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. The results are regularly presented to the public to raise awareness of BCI technologies and promote broad acceptance of these innovations.
DONUT’s aim is to establish a strong and sustainable network amongst all 15 participating partners. All DCs within the DONUT consortium will benefit from a close-knit network of contacts amongst the established researchers involved. PhD students will have the opportunity to gain knowledge through network-wide workshops, summer schools and other training events, which can significantly enhance their career prospects both in academia and in industry, in Europe and worldwide – a distinctive feature of this renowned EU funding programme. The involvement of associated project partners from industry, to whom the DONUT PhD students are seconded for approximately nine months each during their standard 36-month doctoral programme, guarantees the PhD students comprehensive cross-sector experience and maximises the programme’s impact.
As the coordinator of this research project, HSRW has been allocated approximately 800,000 euros of the total funding of approximately 2.6 million euros. The project will run for 48 months, from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2027. In addition to Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, the following institutions are partners in the project: Stichting Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen in the Netherlands, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche in Spain, Aarhus University in Denmark, Kauno Technologijos Universitetas in Lithuania and Ustav Merania Slovenskej Akademie Vied in Slovakia.
Further information, including the latest job vacancies, is available on the project website https://donut-project.eu/.
Contact:
Faculty of Technology and Bionics
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ivan Volosyak
Professor of Biomedicine and Engineering
Email: ivan.volosyak@hochschule-rhein-waal.de
