Posted: October 27, 2009

(Nanowerk News) The development of interaction between Japanese and Russian industrial enterprises in the sphere of nanotechnologies has good prospects, President of Konica-Minolta IJ Technologies Akiyoshi Ono told Itar-Tass in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Commenting on the results of talks with CEO of the company Sun Innovations Vladislav Mirchev (Novosibirsk region) the Japanese businessman expressed an interest in the development of cooperation with RF partners, including Sun, in many practical spheres. Taking part in the business meeting at the Konica-Minolta office in Hino were representatives of the RUSNANO state corporation Vasily Grudev and Andrei Krivtsov. They made a detailed report on the Russian state corporation’s tasks and its plans for the assistance to the development of partnership in the nanotechnology sphere between industrial companies of the two countries.

Konica-Minolta that started its business from the production of photo and roentgen film, is currently manufacturing powerful industrial printers that are used for the application of special coating in solar panels, in large-format photo advertising products. In particular, Ono explained, the company has developed the production of Inkjet dye cartridges for printers that apply upper coating on various materials, including ceramics, glass and tissues. “We are interested in cooperation with the Russian partners with assistance of RUSNANO for the development and advancement of our technologies,” Ono said. “Our tasks in this sphere are rather matching.” He highly assessed the technological potential of the Siberian enterprise Sun and possibilities of interaction with Russian companies in general.

Vladislav Mirchev fully agreed with him stressing that Sun is ready not only to continue the purchases of the Konica-Minolta 50-gram compact dye cartridges, but also to develop and supply to the colleagues for their printers the unique ink Sunflower NANOink that is produced with the use of nanotechnology. “We are ready to develop large-scale cooperation, to jointly produce high technology items also for third countries,” Mirchev noted. “The joint business and natotechnologies are international,” he added.

He noted that Sun “is working in the RF and on markets of many countries for more than 10 years, recently RUSNANO has approved our project for the production of printers and ink.” “Siberian printers are made for large-format printing, they are absolutely environmentally friendly and safe in use, they are capable of applying a specified relief design on furniture facade, ceramics or other surfaces, this technology was developed by Sun specialists first in the world,” he said. “Sun makes the quickest in the world electronic stuffing” for such industrial units and “can jointly produce it for the needs of the Japanese partners or supply it to the Japanese market,” he added.

He recalled that in 2008 Sun made a presentation of the only in the world fully environmentally friendly NEO UV-LED Evolution printer with innovation electronics that made a sensation on the large-format printing market. Mirchev said that products of Sun “are already supplied from Novosibirsk to more than 40 countries, including Japan.” According to him, business talks with the Konica-Minolta leadership on partnership in the implementation of new projects will be continued shortly in Siberia.

The Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (RUSNANO) was established in 2007 by the Federal law No 139-FZ to enable Government policy in the field of Nanotechnology. To accomplish this task, RUSNANO co-invests in nanotechnology industry projects that have high commercial potential or social benefit. Early-stage investment by RUSNANO lowers the risk of its investment partners from the private sector.

RUSNANO participates in building nanotechnology infrastructure, which includes the nanotechnology centres of excellence, business incubators and early stage investment funds. RUSNANO provides scientific and educational programs that are required for its investment projects to succeed, and also supports the popularisation of nanoscience and nanotechnology. RUSNANO selects promising spheres for investment based on longer-term foresight created by the leading Russian and world experts, it is said in the company’s press release.

To assist the Russian nanotechnology industry advance to the global market and strengthening of its international links RUSNANO develops partnerships with the leading nanotechnology centres in the world and organizes the annual Nanotechnology International Forum in Russia.

The Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies assists Russian nanotechnology companies to enter the global market with their material and intellectual products and to create favourable international conditions for the development of the Russian innovation infrastructure.

Key goals of international cooperation include: scaling up of national manufacturing of nanoproducts and their promotion to world markets; encouragement of knowledge generation and personnel training in the field of nanotechnologies at the international level; attracting Russian expatriate specialists and scientists to the domestic developments and business projects in the field of nanotechnologies, etc.