By building a virtual joint research institute (JRI) the partners aim for achieving excellence in research, with a joint programming and an internationalization agenda and requirements for staff and infrastructure. It is believed that grouping and focusing on the common theme of functional materials and electronics, the grouping of competencies and resources as well as the complementary infrastructure of the partner institutions lay the ground for excellence in research and development.

During the first “initial” phase the JRI remains as a virtual institute with a dedicated research program, resources and infrastructure, described in annexes to this contract and the task to formulate a roadmap to finding a preferred way for acting in future, possibly as a physical institute with either a legal constitution or an association to (one of) the Partners in the second phase.