FUNLAYERS aims to leverage the scientific excellence and innovation capacity of INL and to strengthen partners' research in the field of layered materials by capturing future opportunities for joint collaboration.
One of the key objectives of the project is to promote a transnational research environment that will facilitate and stimulate interdisciplinary research within partners and beyond.
To achieve this, FUNLAYERS is committed to designing and implementing cross-fertilisation actions, fostering an exchange environment among research staff and world-top experts, and contribute to a sound career of early-stage researchers by facilitating scientific exchange mechanisms between young researchers and experienced professionals.
These efforts are substantiated by the organisation of hackathons targeting the participation of young researchers*.
Scope
*Candidates must possess a PhD at the 2024 call deadline (September 11th). They must have a maximum of 8 years of research experience after a PhD (except for career breaks or work outside research). Mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.
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Hackathon
The FUNLAYERS Hackathon is a hands-on activity designed for early-stage researchers interested in developing an individual sound proposal framed under the 2024 MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships call.
Through this initiative, FUNLAYERS invites researchers to develop a project idea that can potentially be concretized with the support of one of the partners as host institution.
The activity unfolds as an ideation exercise in the form of an interactive game-like experience that guides participants through critical sections, culminating in a pitch presentation that explores the key concept.
The Hackathon is structured in a dynamic flow of constant feedback given by the game moderators – experienced staff that will conduct the experience.
At the end of the activity, participants will showcase the project idea to a jury composed of members of the consortium, that will evaluate, rank, and select the wining proposal.
Getting ready
Participants will have access to a Toolbox that provides a set of resources with important insights useful before, during, and after the exercise.
Once registered, attendees will receive the Toolbox at two stages:
Pre-event
A week before the event, registered researchers will receive a digital Pre-event Toolbox with a set of documents that prepare the ground for the activity.
Check-in
At the start of the event, participants will have access to a digital game-inspired platform that guides the ideation exercise.
The platform presents a defined path that stimulates the emergence of novel ideas and concepts by sparking both group discussions and individual reflections on critical aspects of the call. These aspects revolve around the core of the MSCA, which aims to offer critical exchange opportunities to researchers, contributing to individual capacity building and boosting sound career growth.
Limited number of spots available.
Awards
A team of grant experts will provide constant feedback throughout the ideation exercise. Every Quest of the Hackathon is followed by a real-time assessment moment and idea discussion, giving participants the unique opportunity to take their proposal to the next level.
The top three Pitch presenters will be acknowledged and awarded.
About the Host
The event is held at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory - INL, located in Braga, Portugal.
INL is an international intergovernmental research organisation aiming to perform cutting-edge research and development in nanotechnology and to function as an innovation integrator in multiple application domains.
Founded by the governments of Portugal and Spain under an international legal framework, the Laboratory is committed to becoming the worldwide hub for nanotechnology, addressing society’s grand challenges.
Planning your stay
We're excited to help you plan your trip. We've compiled a list of hotels for you to choose from, ranging from 5-star to 3-star.
BRAGA IS A BEAUTIFUL CITY AND WITH HERITAGE RICHNESS, COMBINING TRADITION WITH INNOVATION
Braga was founded by the Bracari Celts, known in Roman times as Bracara Augusta. It’s located in the North of Portugal, in the Minho region, and has around 193,000 inhabitants. In terms of population, it’s the seventh-largest municipality in Portugal.
Braga is a vibrant city, full of culture and traditions, where the History and the Christian roots live alongside the technological industries and the academic world. We're excited to help you plan your trip. We've compiled a list of hotels for you to choose from, ranging from 5-star to 3-star.
How to reach INL
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The easiest way to reach Braga by air is to fly to Porto International Airport. Francisco Sá Carneiro International Airport is located 11 km away from the centre of Porto, in one of the country’s most important industrial and trading areas. It’s also located 50 km (31 miles) away from Braga.
Visit the website here for more information.
From Porto Airport to Braga
After you arrive at the airport, you can travel to Braga by bus (GetBus).
GetBus offers several options daily. It’s a non-stop transport from the airport to Braga’s Central Bus Station. Tickets can be bought online or directly from the bus driver.
• Cost: 9,00€ (one-way) |16,00€ (round trip ticket) | Duration: approx. 45 minutes.
After arriving at the Central Bus Station in Braga, you can take a taxi or an Uber to INL.
If you arrive at the Porto Airport when no bus (GetBus) is available, there is always the possibility to go by Taxi or Uber.
By taxi: the taxis are located on the arrivals floor of Porto’s Airport.
• Cost: around 65.00€ |Duration: approx. 45 minutes
• Cost: around 45.00€ | Duration: approx. 45 minutes
There are other, less direct, ways to reach Braga from the airport.
By train: to catch a train to Braga, you first need to go to the city centre of Porto – Estação de São Bento or Estação de Campanhã. To reach the city centre, you can go by taxi/Uber to one of the stations above or take the Metro – Line E (Purple) to Campanhã Station (Direction Estádio do Dragão). This metro journey will take about 40 minutes. The metro station is located just a 5-minute walk away from the airport. Tickets are sold at the airport’s tourist office, but if it's not open, you will need some coins for the ticket machines.
Metro do Porto website: http://en.metrodoporto.pt/
After reaching one of the train stations, you can take the train to Braga. The urban railway leaves every 40-45 minutes. These tickets must be bought at the ticket office inside every station or on the ticket machines. For faster trains to Braga, you can buy online at https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/buy-tickets and download the ticket.
• Cost of the urban train ticket: around €4,00 (one-way) | Duration: approx. 50 minutes - 1h15minutes
Comboios de Portugal (Railway) website: https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/
Once you arrive in Braga, you can reach INL by taxi/Uber, on foot (20-30 minute walk), or by bus. There are two buses that you can take. On weekdays, number 43 (direction Universidade do Minho), and on weekends, number 2 (direction Bom Jesus). You can buy the tickets inside.
• Cost of the bus ticket: €1.55
Nr. 43 route: https://www.tub.pt/percurso/43/
Nr. 2 route: https://www.tub.pt/percurso/2/
By Bus: the national long-distance bus network “Rede Expressos” has frequent daily services between Porto's “Campo 24 de Agosto” bus station (city centre of Porto) and Braga. Bus tickets can be bought online up to 30 days in advance at the Rede Expressos’ website: www.rede-expressos.pt
• Cost of the bus ticket: around €6.00 (one way) | Duration: 1 hour
To reach the city centre, you can go by taxi/Uber to the bus station above or take the Metro – Line E (Purple) to 24 Agosto metro stop (Direction Estádio do Dragão). This metro journey will take about 30 minutes. Metro do Porto website: http://en.metrodoporto.pt/
After arriving at the Central Bus Station in Braga, you can take a taxi or an Uber to INL.
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If you decide to drive a car from Porto to Braga, you can choose either a route via A3 or A28.
You can find more information here.
