The following is an excerpt.

The Research Council of Norway is very pleased with the performance of SFI CASA so far. The report after their site visit in February is full of praise, topped with a bit of sound advice.

The report starts by stating that SFI CASA is well rooted in its host institution, NTNU. The vision of the Centre is to be world leading in multiscale testing, modelling and simulation of materials and structures for industrial applications. This is well in tune with the ambition that RCN has for the SFI scheme.

 

On schedule

“The impression of the RCN is that CASA is a well-run SFI with a good professional and administrative leadership. The Centre is on schedule. This includes recruitment and the progress of the PhD candidates,” the report says.

CASA gets credit for sharing experiences with other centres and for the close contact with RCN. Communication work is labelled as exemplary. Establishing a good Scientific Advisory Board that is utilized in a good manner also receives praise.

“The Centre thinks sensibly about entrepreneurship and commercialization and how research should constitute a platform for innovation, industrialization and wealth creation,” the report continues.

 

Horizon 2020

On the alert side, RCN notes that CASA has a very big board. It suggests that that an alternative might be a smaller board with representatives from each industry area taking turns.

The Council thinks CASA or CASA partners should be well qualified and an attractive partner for projects in EU’s Horizon 2020 Programme. Therefore it is positive that CASA takes part in an EU application on recycled aluminium. The Centre should be focused on this in the time ahead.

Finally, RCN recommends that CASA should weigh carefully how many resources to spend on replacing partners leaving the centre against the usefulness for the Centre.