ERDF 309: Strengthening of the Organic, Inorganic, Physical Chemistry Facilities

Equipment bought through the project will serve for undergraduate and post-graduate research and research training in the fields of organic, inorganic and physical Chemistry. This is now assisting local academic chemists to collaborate with the emerging pharmaceutical industry and international colleagues.

With regard to its programmes, the Department of Chemistry is seeking accreditation for its degree programmes and also seeking to become a centre of chemical research. The intention is to be in a position to:• Attract students, especially postgraduate students into the area of Chemistry; • Raise the profile of the University of Malta in this important scientific discipline through excellence in academic research and teaching;• Collaborate with other research colleagues both in other (even overseas) institutions and industrial partners in existing as well as novel areas of research such as nanotechnology and supramolecular chemistry;• Produce highly trained graduate researchers for the local chemical industry such as the pharmaceutical and biochemical industry.Two of the instruments required by the Department of Chemistry: the NMR spectrometer and the GFAAS Spectrometer are essential for a university degree programme in chemistry. In terms of research output, the two instruments mentioned above will also be used in research as will the light scattering instrument which is essential in achieving the strengthening the capability for research in the areas of nanotechnology and supramolecular chemistry. Through this project the Department of Chemistry is seeking to be in a position to participate in research funding programmes such as Horizon 2020. The increasing research activity by the Department of Chemistry is also intended to result in increasing number of post-graduate students in the Department and to increase the number of publications in peer reviewed journals and representations at international conferences.

The procured instrumentation for use in our research laboratories will result in the following within a year of termination of the project: • the creation of two new study modules within the undergraduate and/or postgraduate programmes of the Department of Chemistry, • an increase in collaborative research with other research centres both within the University of Malta and externally (5 cooperative projects).