1:a NT-Forskningskonferensen Karlstad 5 maj 2015 INTERACT and a possible graduate school in science and technology Jan van Stam Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences. Tel.:054-7002479, E-mail: Jan.van.Stam@kau.se Abstract: INTERACT’s research focus is Molecular interactions at surfaces and interfaces. The primary driving force and strength is in the common interest for fundamental understanding of molecular interactions between molecules and between molecules and surfaces. The basic research issues concerns dynamic and static processes in areas such as adsorption/desorption, wetting and fluid transport, mass transport processes, electron and energy transfer, phase separation, molecular orientation, and numerical simulations of molecular interactions and separations. The applied research questions deal with important technological processes, such as coating surfaces, printing, separation of molecules, molecular electronics and organic solar cells. Alongside a presentation of INTERACT, some ideas concerning the necessity of organising the doctoral studies in a graduate school will be brought to discussion. INTERACT The research group INTERACT is build up by about 15 senior scientists. INTERACT’s research focus is Molecular interactions at surfaces and interfaces. The research group pools expertise, experience and methods across the disciplinary boundaries of chemical engineering, physics, chemistry, and modelling. INTERACT's work rests on two strong pillars: Basic research and applied relevance in collaboration with the surrounding society. The primary driving force and strength is in the common interest for fundamental understanding of molecular interactions between molecules and between molecules and surfaces. Another key strength is the availability of a comprehensive set of instruments for studying interactions at surfaces, such as modern microscopy and spectroscopy methods, instruments for coating and printing, for the characterization of materials and surfaces, and for the separation of molecules. The basic research issues concerning dynamic and static processes, thermodynamics and kinetics in areas such as adsorption/desorption, wetting and fluid transport, mass transport processes, electron and energy transfer, phase separation, molecular orientation, and numerical simulations of molecular interactions and separations. The applied research questions deal with important technological processes, such as coating surfaces, printing, separation of molecules, scale-up and optimization of processes, biosensors, molecular electronics and organic solar cells. All these processes have important applications in products that are essential for human health and well-being (e.g., pharmaceutical, packaging, food, and energy), as well as being the fundament for a future sustainable society. The present research activities within INTERACT follow mainly three branches. One treats the chemical engineering of coatings and barriers. This branch also includes polymer technology and printing technology. A second subdivision is the research on separation techniques for analytical and pharmaceutical purposes. The third and last activity branch considers organic optoelectronics, both from a physical as well as a chemical perspective. Recently, INTERACT started four new projects. One prerequisite was that the projects clearly should contribute to INTERACT’s research and be inclusive in terms of openness to researchers from different fields. The projects comprises scientific questions as how modifications of starch influences the structure and barrier properties in polymer-clay mineral composites, fundamental investigations of complex solvent interactions on surfaces by new approaches, the use of spectroscopy to characterise thin films from different coating processes, and new materials for stable solar cells. GRADUATE SCHOOL Another important task for INTERACT, and all excellent and strong research groups, is to contribute to research and teaching at the Faculty. In terms of research and Ph.D. studies, this task is of vital importance to our common future. We all know, that the education at the doctoral level (the third cycle) will be evaluated in coming years and we need to stand prepared and to be pro-active in these matters. This task becomes even more important, considering that the strategy document of the Faculty (HNT 2014/252) gives neither directions, nor goals, for the Ph.D. education – which means that we have to express these directions ourselves. It is my strong conviction that we need to organise the Ph.D. education in science and technology in a common graduate school. Within this school, we can take a lot of actions to strengthen our Ph.D. education. We can organise common graduate courses, when applicable, to ensure enough students. We can share supervision responsibilities, to broaden the platform for the Ph.D. student. We can exchange experiences and ideas, to further develop research and studies. We could, and should, find common research questions to tackle, to focus our activities. The necessity to focus our research does not imply that all subject-bound activities must end. To the contrary, the specific parts of a given subject must remain, and the common part should be viewed as necessary in order to strengthen the environment and to ensure Ph.D. projects at the front edge of science. The graduate school should provide the framework, the fundament to build stronger subjects and better graduate education on. The graduate school is not a goal itself, but a toolbox and a compass to find the way to the goals we want to achieve together. INTERACT can contribute to this vision in several ways. We give already some courses at the doctoral level and will promote these better in the future. We are also willing to discuss the content of our courses, in order to make them interesting to a broader audience. INTERACT also comprises scientists with a good knowledge in molecular interactions, surface and interface interactions, and modelling from the perspectives of engineers, chemists, physicists, and mathematicians. With this platform, we can contribute to the supervision of Ph.D. students, for shorter or longer terms. In my presentation, I will, besides presenting INTERACT briefly, further discuss my personal view on how a graduate school in science and technology can be implemented and organised in our Faculty. Hopefully, this can start a discussion about strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats of our present third cycle education and, hence, yield a Ph.D. education with higher quality in the future.