The project ERA-Chair Spectroscopy@IKU: Manipulating and Characterizing Molecular Architectures: from Isolated Molecules to Molecular Crystals is the first project in Türkiye funded by the European Research Agency (ERA) within the scope of the Horizon Europe Framework - Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area (WIDERA) ERA-CHAIRS Programme. The project will be developed during the next 5 years at the Istanbul Kultur University (IKU), and has a budget of 2.5 million Euros. A Center of Excellence (IKU-SPECTRA), provided with advanced instrumentation and specialized human resources, is being established to foster research and innovation in the areas of Physics, Chemistry and Materials Sciences, spectroscopy being the unifying vector.
The project focuses on critical scientific areas, such as environmental, atmospheric, and space chemistries, and materials sciences, with pharmaceutically relevant materials being at the core of the research to be developed. Molecular spectroscopy techniques are used to explore the structure and reactivity of atmospheric molecules, as well as the polymorphism exhibited by molecular crystals, a critical issue to the pharmaceutical industry. These research activities are supported by a state-of-the-art laboratorial infrastructure and advanced computational methods, enhancing Istanbul Kultur University's scientific capacity and its international visibility.
The project also intends to contribute to the strengthening of the MSc Program in Physics and to the creation of a new Physics PhD Program at IKU, promoting an attractive and stimulating environment for young national and international researchers.
The project will provide the Türkiye’s first matrix isolation spectroscopy facility, and modern Raman imaging and X-Ray diffraction laboratories. This new hub for scientific excellence will offer high-quality services to national and international academic and industrial users, contributing to make the Istanbul region and Türkiye privileged international platforms for scientific knowledge-based services and advanced technology transfer to societal stakeholders.
As a whole, the Spectroscopy@IKU ERA-Chair project aims to make the Istanbul Kültür University an internationally recognized major player in spectroscopy, while contributing to global scientific agendas such as the European Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and the Green Deal.
