This document summarizes Martin Schröder's successful application for a €2.5M ERC Advanced Grant over 5 years to fund his research on "Chemistry of Coordination Space: Extraction, Storage, Activation and Catalysis". The summary outlines the application and evaluation process, including submitting a detailed 15-page research proposal that was evaluated on its groundbreaking nature, potential impact, and methodology. It also discusses progress made in the first 18 months of the grant, including appointing postdocs and positive interactions with ERC administrators.

1. ERC Advanced Grant COORDSPACE Chemistry of Coordination Space: Extraction, Storage, Activation and Catalysis Martin Schröder Professor and Head of Inorganic Chemistry School of Chemistry

3. 1st Dec 2008 – 30th Nov 2013

4. Application submitted in First Round of ERC Advanced Grant Call in Feb 2008

5. Step 1 result late May 2008

6. Step 2 result Sept 2008

7. Negotiation

9. The Application (Step 2) SECTION 2 Project proposal: details and context of proposed research, deliverables, milestones, management and resources 15 pages SECTION 3 Research environment: is the University of Nottingham an appropriate host? 2 pages Application took 2 months to prepare

10. The Evaluation Report 1 Principal Investigator (Section 1a) Quality of research outputs/track record Intellectual capacity and creativity Mark out of 4 2 Research Project (Section 2) Ground breaking nature of the research Potential impact Methodology High-gain/High-risk balance Mark out of 4 3 Research Environment (Section 3) Contribution of the research environment to the project Pass or Fail

11. Issues Highlighted by the Evaluation Report 4 referees’ reports plus a Panel Summary Citation data, H index Awards and international distinctions Numbers of papers published Numbers of PhDs and postdocs supervised; destinations Track record of the University of Nottingham Research proposal: multi-faceted risk and impact assessments Speculative research: risk management Very transparent and clear assessment criteria Quality of reviewing

13. Postdocs all appointed

14. Administrative interactions with ERC have been very positive

15. Negotiation period and post grant admin has been good

16. Report 1 due by end of July 2010

17. A template for the report has been received

19. Pure research; speculative high risk/high gain proposal

20. Risk assessment and risk management critical

21. Management: milestones and deliverables

22. Impact in Grand Challenge themes Every statement must be supported by evidence and/or data Make sure that the proposal is reviewed before submission

23. Modulation of H2 Binding Energy Li+ Enhanced Adsorption Cation-Induced Kinetic Trapping M. Schröderet al Nature Chem.1, 487-493, (2009). Patent. Hydrogen Storage - Pore with Gate. Application number: 0908839.4

24. AcknowledgementsJenny RowleyJill HarrisElizabeth FrenchBethany YorkMathew RackleyMartin Pickard Thank you for your attention M.Schroder@nottingham.ac.uk