Complutense University of Madrid

This proof-of-concept project aims at developing a software tool to be integrated in commercial electron microscope control platforms dedicated to the development of novel magnetic materials. Magnetic materials have applications in different areas such as data storage, sensors, biomedical applications or spintronic devices. Future technological developments will come hand-in-hand with new materials based on novel atomic arrangements, and electron microscopy is a unique technique to analyze nature in an atom-by-atom fashion. Recent improvements in microscope performance ensuing from the correction of optical aberrations are already commercially available. However, a successful transfer of specific, advanced tools into a wider technology development context needs of user-friendly interfaces that can help non-specialist researchers and engineers fully exploit these techniques. This is a particularly pressing need for the magnetic material industry, since a number of techniques sensitive to magnetic quantities have been demonstrated in the electron microscope in the last few years. But the field development is incomplete because they are hampered by time-consuming data acquisition and analysis procedures. No tools exist that are capable of fast optimization, acquisition and analysis of data at the flick of a switch. Here, we propose to fill this gap and develop an optimal software tool ready to be marketed by specialized technical companies. It will consist of an interface that will control and modify the excitations of magnetic lenses, the detectors in charge of data acquisition and, also analyze datasets and calculate parameters relevant to the magnetic behavior of samples of interest. These tools will provide the means to give a new spin to research into the magnetic materials of the future.

Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), one of the top ranked Universities in Spain, supports Post Doctorates through its own talent attraction programme (0,5M€/year) and co-funds 50% of Regional programmes (0.5M€/year). UCM is a well-positioned University at National and EU level, but expanding the funding and territorial scope of these initiatives will allow UCM and the Region to become even more attractive to outside talent. UNI4CAREER aims at mobilizing 7M€ in the Region (over doubling current funding), through a multiannual fellowship programme (60 months) that will attract 40 experienced researchers in 2 international calls (20 researchers / call). The fellows will incorporate into one of 94 UCM´s excellence groups on 4 knowledge areas: humanities, health, social and experimental sciences. UNA4CAREER leverages on UNA EUROPA ALLIANCE inspired by, and contributing to, EC EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES INITIATIVE: UCM plus 5 top EU universities from Italy, France, Belgium, Germany and Poland, that will be Partner Organisations (PO) offering secondment positions, being all committed with HRS4R (4 out of 6 members, including UCM, awarded). UNA4CAREER, as an open network enabling 40 researchers to combine their work in an INTERNATIONAL (6 countries), CROSS-SECTORAL (possibility to interact with over 500 actors through the UNA Europa Alliance) and INTERDISCIPLINARY (4 scientific areas) framework, will definitely help spreading the best practices of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions. UNA4CAREER will allow the fellows to EXPAND their SKILLS in order to improve their employability in both the academic and non-academic sectors, through SECONDMENTS (60 months in Academic and 30 months in non-Academic entities are estimated). UNA4CAREER will also encourage researchers to PURSUE A CAREER with a truly European dimension including COMPLEMENTARY TRAINING ON RESEARCH AND TRANSFERABLE SKILLS (over 58 courses available).

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in Europe. The economic impact of cancer in Europe has been quantified with a total cost of 126 billion €, including healthcare costs and productivity losses. Although many efforts have been devoted to eradicate cancer, the current treatments are associated with severe side effects and high toxicity. Alternatively, the next generation of cancer treatments targets only malignant cells, which exhibit unique biochemical hallmarks different from their normal counterparts. For example, cancer cell mitochondria are structurally and functionally different from healthy cells. As mitochondria are the waterline of cellular viability, they represent a more effective therapeutic target as compared to current protein targeted therapies. Here, we propose a novel approach whereby the control of cell proliferation and survival is achieved by means of regulation of the membrane properties of the cancer cell mitochondria by means of a lipophilic cationic drug, which efficiently accumulates in mitochondria. Our approach meets the requirements of developing, protecting and commercializing alternative therapies leading to an improvement of life quality and survival rate of cancer patients as well as an improvement in economic terms.