Welcome to Gladnet

 We welcome you to GLADNET a European Project

GLADNET, Analytical Glow Discharge Network, is a group of 16 partners working in the field of glow-discharges as tool for elemental and molecular analysis, both for solid bulk materials and content depth profiling. GLADNET had asked for financial support from the European Community within the Marie Curie Actions for Human Resources and Mobility Activity of the 6th framework. The consortium, coordinated by EMPA Thun, Switzerland, started its work on February 1^rst 2007 and the project was successfully finished on January 31rst 2011.

The consortium included 16 major academic, R&D and industrial players from twelve countries: eight EU countries and four countries linked to the EU through different agreements. The partners included four Physics and four Chemistry groups. Three groups are specialised in Materials Science. Several partners also have specific expertise in developing modelling software. The industrial partners included analytical laboratories from large companies as well as companies developing and manufacturing GD-MS and GD-OES equipment.

The major objective of GLADNET was to train a fresh generation of research personnel in Glow Discharge Spectroscopy technologies, in a European context bringing them to world-class level.

Gladnet aimed to:

• Implement collaborative research projects to train a new generation of scientists and to make future technological and scientific break through. These projects will be carried out both in the academic and industrial research facilities;
• Provide an interdisciplinary training delivered by the leading experts from university, institutes and industry.
• Create a common basis for technology transfer from academic to industrial research leading to innovative knowledge-based developments.
• Provide the European industry with skilled researchers and new knowledge in the field of rapid, accurate methods for the analysis of solids , essential for the achievement and maintenance of high quality in existing manufacturing processes and for the development of new materials and surface coatings. In today's Europe the overall analysis costs in Europe amount to approximately 4% of the Gross Domestic Products (GDP).The industrial sectors interested in GD are of crucial importance for Europe .They include life sciences (biocompatibility of medical implants etc.), nano-technology (composition of very thin layers etc.) and thin films, but also more traditional sectors such as car manufacturing, steel and aluminium production are concerned by the GD-technology.

The partners of GLADNET already had a long tradition of successful collaboration prior to the official start of the Network. A number of them had been involved in an earlier thematic Network on Glow Discharge organised within the 4^th framework of the European Commission. 3 groups were linked by another, related but distinct, European research project on Elemental and Molecular Depth Profile Analysis EMDPA, using GD-ToFMS.