Description
The project will cover a broad spectrum of organic and medicinal chemistry topics focusing on the dissemination of activities carried out in the participating institutes, and on promotion of interactions and collaborations between them. The proposed summer school is an ideal scene to exchange ideas and experiences between scientists and students of various disciplines and to build up long-term and fruitful cooperation. The innovation in chemical syntheses and catalysis is the key research profile of the Department of Chemistry, UiT and the Department of Organic Chemistry, USZ. The main research interest of both institutes is to generate bioactive heterocycles as well as lead-oriented synthesis of small molecules. The development of new synthetic strategies for combining the compounds may lead to molecules of pharmacological importance. The Norwegian participant has strong experience in multicomponent coupling reactions and in computational chemistry, which can help to solve mechanistic and conformational problems and enable the rational design of novel derivatives. Laser-induced reactions represent an innovative and challenging trend in organic chemistry in order to generate reactive intermediates and this activation mode deserves attention by UiT. Moreover, at the USZ the development of a laser photo chemical reactor for the completion of gas- and liquid-phase reactions is in progress, and therefore the involvement of physicists and students from the Kecskemét College with expertise in laser-physics, is essential for the adaptation of the acquired knowledge into chemical processes. During the project, the plan is to organize a 16-day summer school with the participation of 24 students of different levels of education. The lectures will be delivered by 7 teachers from Hungary and 2 from Norway. The UiT will provide the places for the summer school, the instrumentation for workshops, and participate to give lectures and to evaluate the topics of the courses.
Summary of project results
The main objective of the project was to establish an Intensive Programme between the participating higher-education institutions, which can be the basis of a thriving cooperation in the future. The programme provided multidisciplinary insights into organic chemistry and gave novel perspectives for the development of new chemical methods and for the design of biologically active compounds. The goal of the project was to get introduction to the students of different levels of education (BSc, MSc, PhD) about novel topics of research in the field of chemistry and pharmacology. In the course the students could gain experience in up-to-date chemical research methodologies, involving laser technology. Between the 11th-26th July, the „1st Hungarian-Norwegian Summer School on Bioactive Substance Research” was organised jointly by the University of Szeged, the Pallasz Athéné University and the University of Tromsø. During the intensive program, the participating students of the three higher educational institutions could get a deeper insight into medicinal chemistry research, pharmacological research, computational chemistry trials, as well as the utilization of laser technology in chemistry. All together 24 students participated in the Summer School, the lectures were delivered by teachers from the University of Szeged, the Pallasz Athéné University, Kecskemét, and the University of Tromso. Participating students was awarded with 5 ECTS credits, after having fulfilled the programme. The summer university provided a scene for students and researchers to share their ideas and experiences, resulting in new opportunities in computational and photochemical trials of chemical and biological active compounds. Kecskemét College, the Hungarian project partner, due to an organizational change was transformed, and with the integration of the College of Szolnok, on the 1 July, 2016 the Pallasz Athéné University has been established.
Summary of bilateral results
Professional competencies and multi-level scientific expertise of the partners are complementary. Therefore, the programme was expected to be highly synergistic in terms of the contribution of the participants. The innovation in chemical syntheses and catalysis is the key research profile of the Department of Chemistry, University of Tromso and the Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Szeged. The main research interest of both institutes is to generate bioactive heterocycles as well as lead-oriented synthesis of small molecules. The development of new synthetic strategies for combining the compounds may lead to molecules of pharmacological importance. The Norwegian participant has strong experience in multi-component coupling reactions and in computational chemistry, which contributes to solve mechanistic and conformational problems and enables the rational design of novel derivatives. Laser-induced reactions represent an innovative and challenging trend in organic chemistry, in order to generate reactive intermediates, this activation mode deserves attention by the University of Tromso. Moreover, at the University of Szeged, the development of a laser photochemical reactor for the completion of gas - and liquid-phase reactions is in progress, therefore the involvement of physicists and students from the Pallasz Athéné University with expertise in laser-physics provided an added value to the successful adaptation of the acquired knowledge into chemical processes. The application of lasers in chemistry and pharmacology offers new opportunities for the development of these fields. ELI-ALPS laser infrastructure that is being built in Szeged provides a framework for the implementation of new research directions. Thus, special emphasis was put on the laser related applications during the Summer School, and pronounced the multidisciplinary nature of such research, in order to stimulate long-term cooperation between the participating Institutes. The participating departments contributed to the dissemination of the project results with publications. The University of Tromso provided the infrastructure for the Summer School, the instrumentation and solvents for workshops and experimental tasks, besides participating in elaboration of the training curricula and the evaluation of the project. Pallasz Athéné University presented the results of the project at AGTEDU Conference, organized at the occasion of the Hungarian Science Festival.