Nanotechnology Research – Initiatives, Networks & Associations

The DEEPEN project is Europe?s leading research partnership for integrated understanding of the ethical challenges posed by emerging nanotechnologies in real world circumstances, and their implications for civil society, for governance, and for scientific practice.

The project Development of Lithography Technology for Nanoscale Structuring of Materials Using Laser Beam Interference (DELILA) focuses on researching and developing a new production technology for fabrication of 2D and 3D nano structures and devices. In particular, DELILA will enable low cost and large volume production of surface structures and patterns with nanometric resolution.

The "Design for Micro & Nano Manufacture (Patent-DfMM)" Network of Excellence aims to establish a new technical community that will address the underlying engineering science to ensure that problems affecting the manufacture and reliability of products based on MNT can be addressed before prototype and pre-production.

DINAMICS is a European FP6-funded project that aims to promote the uptake of nanotechnological approaches by developing an integrated costeffective nanobiological sensor for detection of bioterrorism and environmental assays. The prime deliverable is an exploitable lab-on-a-chip device for detection of pathogens in water using on-the-spot recognition and detection based on the nanotechnological assembly of unlabelled DNA.

A European project for the devolopment of an integrated platform to assess the risk of nanoparticles.

The main driver for the industrial consortium DOMINO is the need to establish design methods for the manufacture of novel dispersed nano-particulate products, allowing the rapid implementation of processes to manufacture predictable products, which meet rigorous quality standards.

DYNASYNC, short for 'Dynamics in Nano-scale Materials Studied with Synchrotron Radiation', is a Framework Six project. Seven laboratories from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary and Poland collaborate in an ambitious specific targeted research project to address size-dependent quantum phenomena on nano-scale both theoretically and experimentally.

Nanoelectronics for an Energy Efficient Electrical Car. The goal of this European project is to improve the efficiency of the electrical vehicle using advanced semiconductor components in the areas of Power Conversion; Power Management; Power Distribution Network; and Smart Dynamic Monitoring.

The EMERGNANO project has been commissioned by Defra in the UK to capture and critically appraise the emerging evidence concerning the health and environmental risks of nanomaterials.

The UK Government's leading funding agency for research and training in engineering and the physical sciences has a section on nanotechnology.

(website in German) A network of nano and nanobiotech research groups and companies in the Munich region.

ePIXfab was started as the Silicon Photonics Platform within the framework of ePIXnet, the FP6 Network of Excellence on photonic integrated components and circuits. The mission of ePIXfab is to build a future for silicon photonics in Europe through the development of a fabless model for the fabrication of silicon photonic circuits based on existing CMOS labs and commercial foundries relying on European know-how.

The European FP6 Network of Excellence ePIXnet provides a platform to its academic and industrial partners for sharing and integrating research facilities and research know-how in the field of photonic integrated components and circuits.Research themes: Towards technologies for photonic VLSI; Nanophotonics; Advanced materials; Integrated and integratable light sources; Ultra-wide band photonic signal; processing.

The ePIXnet Nanostructuring Platform for Photonic Integration and Nanophotonics fabricates Nanophotonic devices, such as photonic crystals and photonic wires, for a range of research groups throughout the world. The efforts are primarily concentrated on Silicon on Insulator, Indium Phosphide and Gallium Arsenide materials.

EUCOR Nanoscience is a project to facilitate the mobility of students in the field of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. The current partners of this project are the University of Basel, the University of Freiburg, the University of Karlsruhe, the University of Strasbourg and the Université de Haute Alsace Mulhouse. The project is embedded into the interregional European organizsation EUCOR.

The first European Infrastructure for micro and nano fabrication and characterisation using a broad range of materials. EUMINAfab partners offer no-fee access to 36 installations with the necessary technical support personnel in the areas of micro and nano patterning, thin film deposition, replication and characterisation.

The EuroIndiaNet project aims to promote stronger collaboration between EU and Indian scientists and industrialists in the areas of the nanosciences and nanotechnologies.

ANNA is an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative (I3) funded by the European Commission under the FP6 devoted to to strengthening the European Research Area in the field of microelectronics and Nanotechnology. ANNA offers analytical support to Research Institutions but also production facilities of SMEs and Industries.

The integrated project PACE will explore the utilization of the simplest technically feasible elementary living units to build evolvable complex information systems. The Center will create, analyse and investigate the applications of such systems that process information by self-organization starting at molecular scales. They will explore the collective properties of artificial cells and demonstrate that they are the right material for building nanoscale robot ecologies.

The goal of ECSIN is to carry out research and studies to evaluate whether and which could be the backlash upon human and environment health, due to the exposition to nanoparticles and/or nanomaterials.

This web service provides an overview of nanotechnology related activities across the European Community's programmes. This includes information on projects and funding opportunities, information about the European Research Area and the 6th and 7th Framework Programmes.

The NMP priority supports research projects in the area of "Nanotechnology and nanosciences, knowledge-based multifunctional materials and new production processes and devices"

The Nanotechnology and Molecular Imaging is one of the five Scientific Units of the Institute for Health and Consumer Protection - Joint Research Centre. The unit provides scientific support in key technologies for JRC priority areas related to Environment and Health, alternative methods, exposure monitoring and security. In the area of nanobiotechnology, based on extensive experience in surface engineering and biophotonics, new bio-interfaces, biosensors and diagnostic systems are developed and tailored to specific applications in toxicology (high throughput screening), exposure assessment and monitoring, toxicity of nanoparticles, and health.

The objectives of ANNA are to integrate and enhance European analytical resources and to create a centre of excellence of analysis for nanotechnologies and a multi?site laboratory.

Provides a strategic research agenda for the European nanoelectronics sector.