The EAgLE project aimed at establishing at the Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences (IFPAN) a leading multiprofile research Centre for designing and fabricating new materials, their characterization and testing under extreme experimental conditions. The Centre would identify and select novel materials, structures, phenomena, and computational protocols for functional new-concept nanodevices.

The Centre benefited from twinning with 16 partnering institutions having the sound expertise in the field of materials fabrication (e.g. MBE, chemical synthesis, lithography, FIB), characterization (e.g. XPS, TEM, EELS, synchrotron – diffraction and spectroscopy, NMR), nanodevice design and testing (e.g. semi- and superconducting electronics, cryogenics, computer simulations). The research potential was enhanced through employment of both experienced and young researchers in the relevant fields.

Within the project an X-Ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS) has been acquired, making it possible to perform element specific and chemical sensitive characterization of materials with 3D resolution. A cryogen-free dilution refrigerator has been another essential purchase opening new opportunities to follow properties of the materials and devices down to a few miliKelvins.

An important goal of the Centre was exploration and standardization of user-friendly computational methods for materials design and for modelling of functional properties and nanodevices, including code validation and benchmarking, available also to external users.

The awareness of issues related to the field of intellectual property, licensing, and patenting has been raised among the staff members via a series of dedicated workshops, in order to improve the transfer of innovations to new spin-offs, SMEs, and industry.