Research to Business

30/08/2026

Postdoc Professionals - a platform for career and research development

One important category of researchers is postdocs. They have got started. PhD, and maybe first postdoc, maybe even second. Built up knowledge, a growing network. Ideas and energetic minds.

Next career step is not easy. Many are in sort of limbo phase. Can not go back, can not move forward.

What can be done is at least support each other. Those active will find ways forward.

Postdoc Professionals is a platform that will progress with those who are active to meet and exchange, share ideas, experiences.

Web page:
www.postdocprofessionals.tech

LinkedIn page:
www.linkedin.com/showcase/postdoc-professionals/

14/08/2026

Career progression for postdocs

When I was young researcher, life was less difficult. I would not say it was easy. I got my PhD 1999, and started to apply for projects. In Sweden there is one main source for funding, the Swedish Research Council. I applied first time as main applicant in year 2000 or 2001. Got rejected. Applied again next year. Rejected. Applied again.

Repeat that until 2009 when I applied and got my first grant as principal investigator from the Swedish Research Council. My funding application forehead is thick now. We apply in April and get notification in November, projects start Jan 1 next year. Since 2010 I have projects, and could maintain that momentum until today thanks to networking and align with key partners to submit in strategic areas (that is one reason we suggest use of forums).

I remember one of the professors shared that many years ago (when they were young), they could sort of draft a project on a napkin and get funded.

I do not envy young researchers today from funding point of view, academic position and career point of view. Competition is fierce. But you are the next generation professionals who will take things we do to higher level. You are like my retirement plan. You will solve world problems until I am at the old people’s home.

Postdocs are in a limbo phase. Universities commonly accept that a postdoc can be for 2 years, or 2+2. To move on with your career, you must find another organization after building up activities and they start to have momentum at your current place.

Next step at university is another position type. Assistant professor, associate professor, etc. have their requirements. If you qualify on those, a key one is that you should be the selected candidate. Often there is already someone from their network in mind for a position.

Since you are my retirement plan, I have created support activities. MSCA Sweden is one channel, I have others. And personal direct mentorship with those who aim to really make a change and take lead.

Challenges and needs differ from time to time, person to person, discipline to discipline. One way to learn more about the reality of needs today is to meet and share. This is the purpose of Postdoc Professionals.

First meetup Aug 20.

www.researchtobusiness.tech/postdoc-professionals-aug-20/

08/08/2026

In one way or another our activities are related to semiconductors

It offers an opportunity. Non-experts in semiconductors can apply their knowhow to semiconductors if they now more about semiconductors. It creates an added value.

This is the idea behind Seminon - Semiconductors and silicon carbide for non-experts (and experts).

The use of technical terms in this activity is reduced. All the things are presented in simplified descriptions so there is chance to get the point. So have no semiconductor fright!

Experts are actually non-experts regarding other semiconductors, and the disciplines that non-experts are experts in.

Simplified: we can do more if we know more. And if we meet to exchange ideas. That is the purpose of forum series in semiconductors and silicon carbide for non-experts (and experts). In fact, a combination that emerges might be a unique opportunity because it is based on skills and ideas that only come from that meeting.

Forum August 13

I (Mikael) will share about semiconductors. Since my background is silicon carbide (since 30 years), I will use examples from that. The data-driven value creation case study is in our pilot is actually in silicon carbide.

One main experience that I have is that many opportunities come from those who are not experts. Meeting other disciplines, citizens, policy makers, etc is a way to open up for opportunities in unexpected ways.

Read more and register:
www.seminon.tech/2026/08/04/introduction-to-silicon-carbide-aug-13/

LinkedIn group for future updates about Semiconductors and silicon carbide for non-experts (and experts)
www.linkedin.com/groups/14528110/

27/07/2026

Course Aug 11 – Digital Transition for Green Technologies: Essentials and Future Perspectives

A short course with lecture and Q&A focusing on practical perspectives for aligning research activities with the digital transition. The course introduces participants to the digital transition in green technologies and provides practical perspectives on how data in research activities can create value and relevant motivation for the transition. This can be achieved by implementing data-driven approaches in research to provide realistic impact and exploitation. We share a real case example from our own pilot (GlobalSiC).

Course Aug 11 – Digital Transition for Green Technologies: Essentials and Future Perspectives Aug 11, 2026 | 9-11:30 AM (CEST) Short course Digital Transition for Green Technologies: Essentials and Future Perspectives Half-day format, 2.5 hours, group. A short course with lecture and Q&A focusing...

15/07/2026

Sharing for the future

Today was onboarding in EIC mentor programme. The strongest motivation for why being mentor was sharing, and sharing knowledge (answer with one word). We all have experiences. Sharing is to also learn. Give back.

Besides sharing knowledge to the researchers for the future, my new initiative is also knowledge sharing. In Erasmus hosting for students and higher educational institutions with interest in business development, green technologies and engineering, digitalization, use of data, AI and machine learning for the digital transition. We can share our model for data-driven value creation for business and sustainability that is applied in the GlobalSiC pilot. The students can explore that in their own interest area and context. Share to learn from each other. Physical internship in Sweden, or blended with online mode and short stay.

There are various ways to share knowledge to create mutual benefit. The Summer mode is good for planning new activities for knowledge sharing with those interested. My cat made sure that I stay put and think about it.

11/07/2026

Research to Business pod

From time to time I get various types of questions. Anything related to project proposals, career advices, knowledge valorisation and exploitation practicalities, postdoctoral fellowship related aspects in my recent non-academic training for MSCA researchers, etc. Any type of question can pop up. I try to answer as good as I can. Sometimes I can only elaborate but that is also useful for the person who asks. It gives some feedback and may be useful for them to move on with. Often we lack feedback to our ideas. That is partly why I created the forum platforms (most activities on the IW-SiC silicon carbide platform). The exchange part in each forum is the one where ideas flow.

Many years ago I started to make videos. I had my system camera and microphones powered by portable sound cards, but that included lot of issues which made it not so practical. Then I started to make videos using my iphone in simplified way without overplanning but good enough and lapel microphone. That resulted in the Research to Business Youtube channel. I am not expert in video editing but manage to do something that is ok.

I have also been thinking about pod, but did not want to focus on lengthy episodes which need detailed planning to keep interest. Now pod thinking became relevant again when I was accepted as mentor in EIC 2026 programmes Tech to Market, and Women Leadership.

Some time ago I got to know about micropods. Probably has been around for years, but new for me. The 30 years of research and entrepreneurial experience also means that there are some dinosaur features. I have a USB microphone with built in sound card (including gate, EQ, compressor) and discovered that it actually can be powered by my iphone. Lengthy recordings with that USB microphone heats up the phone, so micropod is perfect.

Recording will mainly be outside when I am in my garden. It makes it practical (I go out several times daily with our dog) and also gives some genuine touch (birds, forest machines, dog barking, background). Generally there is not so much background noise (no neighbours, only nature). I can record something that I am thinking of, in a natural way similarly like I would give as answer to one of those career or exploitation questions.

So now it is up: the Research to Business pod

https://player.rss.com/research-to-business

https://open.spotify.com/show/033rNHDvXXeA8GKvViVwIb

and other streaming platforms

04/07/2026

New research avenues by off-axis semi-insulating substrates?

Silicon carbide has several polytypes. The main ones are 4H-SiC, 6H-SiC and 3C-SiC. These have many similar materials properties and values, and some which differ. Such as bandgap.

The cubic (3C) silicon carbide is the little trouble maker. It does not want to form at all, and when it does it likes to mess up the 4H thin film growth. Historically there was 6H-SiC which was dominant because it forms easiest in the bulk growth. Growth on the substrates resulted in 6H-SiC and 3C-SiC mix. This was because surfaces had on-axis orientation. Meaning that the surface has (0001) orientation that is a natural surface of the silicon carbide crystal.

There were off-axis substrates when the boules were cut little off from that surface. It was found out that an off-axis of 3.5 degree is useful to avoid the inclusions of 3C-SiC. But the 6H-SiC is not the most suitable polytype for power electronics.

The physical v***r transport growth development over time made progress in how to stabilize the 4H-SiC polytype in bulk growth. Thin film researchers and device researchers were happy to have 4H-SiC material. However, the 4H-SiC is more sensitive to the inclusions of 3C-SiC. So the 3.5 degree off-orientation was not sufficient.

That is how 8 degree off-axis substrates emerged. Very nice result, no inclusions of 3C-SiC. However, the substrate material contains basal plane defects which basically are aligned in the (0001) plane. When the substrate surfaces are off-axis, they extend from substrate to layer and make problem at the surfaces. Device people were not happy, so epitaxy people explored other off-axis, and the 4 degree off-axis wafers became the solution. Still a comprise, but everyone is happy. It works.

Most often the thin films are made on n-type electrically conductive substrate for the power electronics.

Enters nitride people. Nitride growth likes on-axis surfaces and dislikes electrically conductive substrates for some of the applications. So another category is on-axis semi-insulating substrates.

Another batch of people is those interested in graphene on SiC (many people now). Those have mixed preference, on-axis or off-axis. On-axis is generally preferred to have true one layer of carbon, while the graphene prefers to start from an edge of a step.

Mix down these ideas. What more could be explored for new research avenues? Off-axis semi-insulating substrates? Interested in such? If we collect interests of new types of materials for new ideas, we can be even more people.

30/06/2026

From Impact to Exploitation course - Summer 2026

Impact is described in proposals and projects, but may lack details and be relatively generic. The From Impact to Exploitation course starts from the envisioned impact and focuses on how to realise it through realistic and credible exploitation pathways.

Read more:
www.researchtobusiness.tech/from-impact-to-exploitation/

03/06/2026

Data, Machine Learning and AI Forum Series

Open forum with expert webinar
July 1, 2026 | 10 AM (CEST) by Pavel Kopylov on "Strategic AI: Turning Research Knowledge into Real-World Impact".

This is a part of knowledge sharing activity for those interested in impact and exploitation, research to business, etc and data-driven value creation for impact and exploitation for business and sustainability.
Meaning more usefulness from research.

Data and digitalization create values and opportunities in various ways. The first expert webinar is with Pavel Kopylov on Strategic AI: how to turn your research knowledge into real-world impact. Intellectual properties, managing data, access, and confidentiality in AI-driven research environments.

Read more and register:
www.researchtobusiness.tech/strategic-ai-turning-research-knowledge-into-real-world-impact-webinar-july-1-2026/

29/05/2026

About opportunities and career

Reflection on opportunities and career