Posted: November 23, 2007

Dr. Sumio Iijima Awarded 2007 Balzan Prize for Nanoscience

(Nanowerk News) Dr. Sumio Iijima was today awarded with the 2007 Balzan Prize for Nanoscience for his discovery of carbon nanotubes, and in particular the discovery of single walled carbon nanotubes and the study of their properties, by the International Balzan Prize Foundation. The award ceremony took place today in Berne, Switzerland.
Every year, four Balzan Prizes are awarded to scholars, scientists or artists who are distinguished in their fields on an international level. The aim of the Balzan prizes is to foster culture, the sciences and the most outstanding humanitarian initiatives of peace and brotherhood among peoples, regardless of nationality, race or creed.
The carbon nanotube, discovered in 1991 by Dr. Iijima at NEC's Fundamental Research Laboratories (now the Nano Electronics Research Laboratories), is a central material of nanotechnology. A broad range of fields, including electronics, energy and biotechnology, are expected to benefit from application of the carbon nanotube in the future.
Dr. Iijima is a Senior Research Fellow at NEC Corporation, Director of the Research Center for Advanced Carbon Materials at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology of Tsukuba, and Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Meijo University, Nagoya.
Reference Material on Dr. Sumio Iijima (1) Innovative Engine (Research): http://www.nec.co.jp/rd/Eng/innovative/E1/top.html
(2) Applications Stemming from Carbon Nanotube Discovery at NEC: http://www.nec.co.jp/rd/Eng/innovative/E1/ayumi.html
(3) Dr. Sumio Iijima's Research Accomplishments and Biography: http://www.nec.co.jp/rd/Eng/innovative/E1/profile.html
About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation is one of the world's leading providers of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of its diverse and global base of customers. NEC delivers tailored solutions in the key fields of computer, networking and electron devices, by integrating its technical strengths in IT and Networks, and by providing advanced semiconductor solutions through NEC Electronics Corporation. The NEC Group employs more than 150,000 people worldwide.
About International Balzan Prize Foundation
The International Balzan Prize Foundation, founded in 1957, promotes culture, science, and the most meritorious initiatives in the cause of humanity, peace and brotherhood among peoples, regardless of nationality, race or creed throughout the world. It achieves its aim through the annual award of four prizes in two general fields: literature, the moral sciences and the arts; medicine and the physical, mathematical and natural sciences, each for the current value of 1 million Swiss Francs (around $ 827 thousand, GBP 410 thousand). Each prize-winner must destine half of the prize for research work, preferably involving young researchers.
The Balzan Foundation also periodically awards a "Prize for humanity, peace and brotherhood among peoples". The awards ceremony is held in alternate years in Rome, in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic, and in Berne, in the presence of the Representative of the Federal Council of the Swiss Confederation. The International Balzan Prize Foundation works from two different offices. The International Balzan Foundation - "Prize" (chaired in Milan by Ambassador Bruno Bottai), selects the subjects to be awarded and the candidates through its General Prize Committee, which is composed of eminent European members. The International Balzan Foundation "Fund" (chaired in Zurich by Achille Casanova) administer the estate left by Eugenio Balzan.
About Meijo University
One of the biggest universities in central Japan, Meijo University has eight faculties and twenty one departments that cover all of the fields of Social Science and Natural Science, as well as interdisciplinary fields. The university also provides special courses and has graduate schools.
Source: NEC Corporation