Spin Optics Laboratory, State University of Saint-Petersburg

Physics and Astronomy School, University of Southampton

Mediterranean Institute of Fundamental Physics, Rome

Mediterranean Institute of Fundamental Physics and

Russian MegaGrants:

two approaches to collaboration with the Russian Scientific Diaspora

Russian Physics at home and abroad: present and future vision:

• In 2010 MIFP founded in Rome

• In 2011 Russian MegaGrant: Spin Optics laboratory is created

• In 2012 we apply for creation of a Research Center at SkTech

Alexey Kavokin

1st French – Russian meeting on New trends in Solid State Physics

(Clermont-Ferrand, 2001)

Sponsored by Velery Giscard d’Estaing

President of the Region Auvergne

ex-President of France

Further meetings in Clermont-Ferrand:

2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006

In Rome: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

The hystory:

Informal meetings of 15-50 world leading

experts in Solid State Physics

2

www.mifp.eu

Mediterranean Institute of Fundamental Physics

New private institute of physics

created in July 2010

Scientific Director: Prof. A. Kavokin, University of Southampton

President of Scientific Council: Prof. B. Altshuler, Columbia University

Admin Officer: Dr. Giuseppe Eramo, University of Rome II Tor Vergata

Mission:

•Help researchers doing research (reduce time losses for administration,

teaching and project management)

•Bring together a strong international team (analogy with a professional

football club)

•Promote cooperation in the Mediterranean region

•Reunification of the Russian scientific diaspora dispersed in the world

during the Brain drain of 1990s

Typical university Private institute

Administration, project

management, teaching

Research

Bureacracy,

incompetitive

salaries

Flexibility,

accumulation of

excellence in

research

Mediterranean Institute of Fundemental Physics (110 Members):

Extremely high H-factor and comparatively young age of the Members

Member H-factor Citation index Age

Altshuler Boris 51 11 821 57

Baumberg Jeremy 42 7 240 44

Di Carlo Aldo 31 5 288 43

Bloch Jacqueline 38 6 841 44

Aleiner Igor 35 4 194 45

Kavokin Alexey 37 3 980 42

Vinokur Valery 54 16 176 56

Butov Leonid 24 2 321 48

Ciuti Cristiano 27 2 281 38

Ivchenko Eugeny 33 4 239 61

Shelykh Ivan 21 1 276 35

Portnoi Mikhail 19 1 248 45

Pozina Galia 18 1 341 45

Bramati Alberto 19 1 121 44

Vladimirova Maria 17 1 470 39

Lagoudakis Pavlos 15 1 234 37

Members of MIFP: average age 41, average h-factor 27

50% of Members are from Russian Scientific Diaspora A. Di Carlo,

Rome

J.J. Baumberg,

Cambridge

B.L. Altshuler,

Columbia

E.L.Ivchenko,

Member of Russian

Academy of Science,

St-Petersburg

J. Bloch,

CNRS, Paris

Mediterranean Institute of Fundemental Physics compared with leading

world institutions

68 81

96 105 107 110

221

329

362

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

h-index for Institutions

Despite the relatively young age of its Members, MIFP has better h-factor than

that of all Italian Physical Institutions and comparable with the best schools in

Europe

Two strategies of development

Virtual institute Real institute

• Administrative group (3-5 person)

• No permanent research positions

• No laboratories

• Budget comes from the grants

essentially

• Members work in different

countries

May be financed from the grants

brought in by the Members

• Core of permanent researchers (20-

30 person)

• Postdocs, PhD students, visiting

professors (50-60 person)

• Administration, technical support

team (20-25 person)

• Central building + labs

• Budget 7-10.000.000 euro per year

A General sponsor is needed

This is what we have now This is what we propose to build

Application 1: Quantum Technologies

Quantum teleportation Quantum metrology

Quantum sensors

Quantum imaging

Quantum computer

Quantum cryptography

8

Application 2: Radiation terapy of single cells affected by cancer

Cyberknife robot

• 3-dimensional imaging of the tumors

• Treatment with terahertz and X-ray sources

• Operations of late stage and recidive tumors without

anestesy

Collaboration with MIFP on terahertz lasers, 3D imaging and X-ray lasing

Prof. G. Ambrosino,

university of Vicenza

Application 3: Alternative energy sources. New generations of solar cells

New physics: Bose-Einstein condensation of photons

Organic photovoltaics

Spherical organic microcavities

Expected efficiency 60% instead of 8% now

MIFP in action:

• October 2010 Nanophotonics School, Armenia

• December 2010 visit of a group of PhD students from StPb to the leading

Italian laboratories in Rome, Pisa, Pavia, Trento

• March 2011 1st March meeting of MIFP in Rome

• May 2011 participation in the ESF conference on Crete

• September 2011 IMMEA conference, Agadir

• September 2011 Nanophotonics School in Maratea

• January 2012 MIFP-Latin America meeting in Campinas

• March 2012 2nd March meeting of MIFP in Rome

• April 2012 Nanophotonics School, Phuket

• June 2012 PLMCN conference, Hangzhou, China

• July 2012 Spin-optronics School, Saint-Petersburg

11

12

Spin Optics Laboratory, St-Petersburg State University

Difficulties:

• Heavy reporting rules:

Financial reporting: every 3 months;

Scientific reporting: every 6 months;

• Difficulties with work permits for foreign

citizens;

• Unclear future after 2013, financing, structure

Overview:

• 6 faculty, 4 staff, 4 PostDocs, 10 PhD students

• Budget 150 m rubles (5m USD) for 2 years

• Collaboration with MIFP

• Benefits from EU networks “CLERMONT4”,

“SpinOptronics”

• Benefits from the multi-million Resource

centers of SPbU

• Publications in Nature and Nature Physics

International Center of Hybrid Photonics

Conclusions

• A major part of Russian physicists born in 1960-1980

now work abroad

• MIFP: 50% of Members originate from the ex-Soviet

Union

• Management is easier in a private institute

• Ideal institute: non-governmental, international, based

both in Russia and abroad

• SkTech Research Centers: excellent idea!

Annex A: Code of Conduct of the Mediterranean Institute of Fundamental Physics

(MIFP)

MIFP is governed by Scientific Council (later referred to as SC). SC consists of Council Members (currently

6) and the President. One of the Members is the Scientific Director of the Institute.

Directors: Scientific Director (SD) is responsible for all Scientific content and people management as well

as Marketing and PR of the Institute.

Administration Director (AD) reports to SD and is responsible for all Administrations, Organization,

Finance, HR, Legal, Tax.

Members: The Members of the Institute may have research or teaching commitments in other research

organisations, universities etc. The Membership is free of charge, it is granted upon request by the candidate

and after approval by the Scientific Council of MIFP.

Some members may hold permanent or fixed term assignments in MIFP subject to SC approval and

availability of grant/other funding.

Grants: Any member can request from MIFP management assistance for grant applications/organisation of

events and other admin help. Each request should be approved by SD and in case of large spend may need

to get SC approval.

Permanent Scientific Roles: will be financed from individual grants or sponsorships, subjects to SC

approvals. Reporting to SD.

Permanent Admin Roles: will report to AD and financed from grant overheads, subject to SD and AD

approvals.

Temporary Scientific Roles: will be financed by respective grants, subject to grand owner and SD

approval. Will report to Grant owners, Grant Owners report to SD.

Law: Governed by the Law of Italy and EU.

Annex B: Scientific Council of MIFP

President, Prof. Boris Altshuler, Columbia University, USA

Members:

Alexey Kavokin, Physics and Astronomy School, University of Southampton, UK

Scientific Director of MIFP

Rinaldo Santonico, Physics Department, University of Rome II, Italy

Andrey Varlamov, Consiglo Nazionale della Ricerca, Italy

Aldo Di Carlo, Engineering Department, University of Rome II, Italy

Igor Lukyanchuk, Universite d'Amiens, France

1993 Hewlett-Packard Europhysics Prize

1993 fellow of the American Physical Society

1996 Elected to the American Academy of Arts and

Sciences

2002 Elected to the National Academy of Sciences

2003 Oliver E. Buckley Prize of the American Physical

Society