START 2nd meeting was organised by Q-PLAN N.G. in Thessaloniki (Greece) at 24-25 May 2012

START 2nd meeting was organised by Q-PLAN N.G. in Thessaloniki (Greece) at 24-25 May 2012. The aim was to present all (both the ‘technical’ and ‘administrative’) aspects of the project and plan the work for the second period. To do so:

The 1st day was devoted to the discussions among the partners in order to go through the Project tasks for the first semester and to report about each partner´s contribution according to their role and responsibilities; to discuss thoroughly the completeness of the Project tasks implementation and reach a common understanding of performed and future activity. The aim was to plan and initiate the activities for the second semester, namely

-to discuss the progress in development of the ISM strategy;
-to highlight the scientific topics and project titles which should be under the development during "on-job-FP7 training" in June 2012 in Poitiers, France and form the base for developing the Joint Research Action Plans between ISM/Institute P´ and ISM/UNIPRESS
-to acquaint participants with the list of conferences in which ISM researchers were participated from the beginning of the Project "Start" and which are planned to be visited in 2012.
-to discuss the activities during the first "Delegation Tour" to France (Paris, Caen, Poitiers) in May-June 2012
-to acquaint the Project partners with the information concerning preparation of the training materials for the Intensive training in September 2012 (Crimea, Ukraine)
-familiarization with the activity during Research Internships in France in May-June 2012 and Poland in October 2012.
-which activity should be performed in order to make next steps toward considerable progress in dissemination and exploitation and promotion of the ISM research competencies.
-to develop action plan for the second semester.

The partners´ approach (methodology, decisions/suggestions, actions, etc) to carry out the work was presented to the Project Officer (PO) during the morning of the 2nd day. The PO presented the "EC point of view" on the project as well as his expectations concerning elaboration of the ISM Research strategy.

The following researchers attended the meeting:

Prof. Nikolay Novikov, Prof. Tatiana Prikhna, V.N. Bakul Institute for Superhard Materials of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (ISM);

Prof. Thierry Cabioc´h, Prof. Jacques Rabier Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS-PPRIME);

Prof. Bogdan Pałosz, Institute of High Pressure Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (UNIPRESS).

Mr. Iakovos Delioglanis , International Environment and Quality Services North Greece Ltd (Q-PLAN N.G.)

Dr. Gediminas Ramanauscas, Project Officer of START.

Academician Prof. Dr-ing, Dr.h.c. Prof.h.c A.G. Mamalis - Project Scientific Director of the Project Center for Nanotechnology and Advanced Engineering (PC-NAE), Athens, Greece, has been invited and participated during two days for the meeting as an observer following the many years of collaboration with ISM. In the first day of the Meeting Prof. A. Mamalis outlined the strategy and research activity of PC-NAE.

All partners were represented during both days of the meeting, while the Project Officer joint meeting the 2nd day.