Nanotechnology Research – Initiatives, Networks & Associations

Supported by companies such as Procter and Gamble, BP International, Thomas Swan & Co., Nexia Solutions, Imerys, SmartBead Technologies and LOT-Oriel, the European Nanotechnology Trade Alliance, ENTA, has recently been created to represent the interests of nanotechnology businesses across Europe. It will act to bridge the gap between industry, governments, science, and importantly, the public. Its aim is to promote the benefits of nanotechnology, while supporting all actions that ensure new nanotechnologies are developed in a safe and responsible manner.

Representing several dozen research teams from across the EU (mostly French), this organization is attempting to be something of a unifying body for nanotube research in Europe

The European Science Foundation promotes high quality science at a European level. It acts as a catalyst for the development of science by bringing together leading scientists and funding agencies to debate, plan and implement pan-European initiatives.

EuMaT has been launched in order to assure optimal involvement of industry and other important stakeholders in the process of establishing of R&D priorities in the area of advanced engineering materials and technologies.

Covering approximately 400 members from 27 countries in Europe and continuously growing, the Platform acts as an exchange forum for the topics of industrial manufacturing: materials, equipment, components. It aims to support industry growth in this new field by the development of a common R&D and education strategy and by enabling close cooperation of SME, Industry and Research Institutions.

A group of 53 European stakeholders, composed of industrial and academic experts, has established a European Technology Platform on nanomedicine.

The European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility is a User Facility charged with providing support and service to research under way in academic, government and industrial laboratories. All domains that need knowledge about electronic excitations, transport and spectroscopy will benefit from the ETSF, such as condensed matter physics and chemistry, biology, materials and nanoscience. Theoretical Spectroscopy reveals the mechanisms of electronic excitations and can predict new materials properties. This combination of quantum mechanics theory and numerical calculations constitutes an approach that is complementary to experiment.

The European EuroQUAM Program focuses on four themes with linked objectives: Atomic quantum gases with controllable interactions; Formation of molecules in ultracold atomic gases; Cooling molecules; and Ultracold plasmas and Rydberg gases.

EXCELL's objectives are aimed at overcoming the fragmentation of the European research landscape in the area of multifunctional films. EXCELL moves frontiers of science and technology related to multifunctional films and improves European competitiveness by technology transfer. EXCELL's results will find a wide range of applications such as low-friction coatings earmarked for a wide use in mechanical engineering, new protective anticorrosion nano-films to be used in construction, marine and land transportation, etc., novel coatings with imbedded nano-clusters to be used in computer industry, etc.

The Medea+ project FANTASTIC addresses the development and assessment of UV-Nanoimprint lithography for high resolution and high throughput microelectronic applications.

FAST-DOT is an experimental program funded under the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Union to: Enable widespread application and further development of laser based photonics; Demonstrate new applications of lasers in biotechnology and medical fields; Develop new industrially integrated design rules for the production of specific quantum dot materials; Unlock the potential of quantum dot materials in biophotonics; Accelerate the implementation of quantum dot lasers through European SMEs and companies; Train a new generation of researchers in the range of new technological areas for quantum dot devices.

FIBLYS (or FIB anaLYSis) is a European funded project where leading researches and industry collaborate to create a new apparatus for nanotechnology that will unite nano-structuring, nano-manipulation, nano-analytic and nano-vision capabilities in one unique 'multi-nano' tool. It is based on a dual Focused Ion Beam (FIB) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) together with Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) and optional possibility of important analytical capabilities such as Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), 3D Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (TOFMS), Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC) or Cathodoluminescence (CL).

Finland is one of the leading European countries in nanotechnology research. FinNano is a new technology programme established by Tekes to accelerate and improve the competitiveness of nanotechnology research in Finland.

The idea of this portal is to be the entrance to the Finnish micro- and nanotechnology world.

The objective of FLEXONICS is the development of ultra-high barrier nanoscale films for r2r encapsulation of flexible electronics.

The FlexTech Alliance is the only organization headquartered in North America exclusively devoted to fostering the growth, profitability and success of the electronic display and flexible, printed electronics supply chain. Leveraging its rich history in promoting the display industry as the U.S. Display Consortium, the FlexTech Alliance offers expanded collaboration between and among industry, academia, and research organizations for advancing displays and flexible, printed electronics from R&D to commercialization.

FONAI's mission is to: Sensitize the whole of Africa and the Caribbean on nanotechnology by means of lectures, seminars, workshops and publications; Draft proposals that will involve a grand alliance of academia, government agency and industry; Set-up Nanotech Research Centers of Excellence around specific themes like nanomaterial synthesis, nanoscale fabrication of devices, nanoscale studies of phenomena and processes, nanomanufacturing, etc.

The Bavarian research cooperation for miniaturised analysis techniques using nanotechnology.

FramingNano is an FP7 project funded by the European Commission. Its primary mission is to facilitate an international multi-stakeholder dialogue aimed at framing future regulatory actions that will foster the responsible development of nanotechnology.

Nearly one third of the currently 58 Institutes of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft is working in the field of nanotechnology

This network represents a new type of innovation funding set by the French Ministry or Research. The aim of these networks is to promote technological transfers between public basic research and industry in government marked priority fields. RMNT is thus opened to all laboratories and companies working in these areas.

Friends of the Earth (FoE) International is the world's largest federation of environmental organisations with member groups in over 72 countries.This is the Australian group's project.

The Frontiers consortium is designed on five criteria: individual excellence in science, excellent nanotechnology infrastructure (clean room facilities), proven capability to initiate start-ups on the basis of new technology, outstanding relations with nanotechnology initiatives all over the world and, finally, a proven track record in cooperating with other members of the consortium. Frontiers consists of 192 scientists from 11 different research institutions scattered over Europe.

The objective of this EU project is the investigation and deliberate steering of supramolecular self-organization using complex molecules at well-defined substrates for the fabrication of functional nanostructures.

(Spanish language site) The official site of the Argentinean Nanotechnology Foundation.