Nanotechnology Research - Initiatives and Networks

The SIINN ERA-NET promotes the safe and rapid transfer of European research results in nanoscience and nanotechnology (N&N) into industrial applications. National and regional resources will be virtually pooled to create a transnational programme of research. SIINN will bring together today?s fragmented research activities on the potential risks of engineered nanomaterials for environment, human health, and safety.

The SANDiE Network of Excellence is dedicated to the formation of an integrated and cohesive approach to research and knowledge in the field of Self-Assembled semiconductor Nanostructures.

The project is based on the observation that diatoms, which are small unicellular algae, possess internal silica skeletons that are laid down due to the silica precipitating activity of specialised proteins called silaffins. These proteins have a highly repeating structure in which the repeated sequences are decorated with additional amine and phosphate groups. Whilst silaffins themselves are potent silica precipitants, synthetic peptides corresponding to these repeats will also act as silicating agents and will allow silica nanoparticles to be generated, provided phosphate is also supplied.

The core objective of the 'Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies (NMP)' theme is to improve the competitiveness of European industry and generate the knowledge needed to transform it from a resource-intensive to a knowledge-intensive industry.

The core objective of the 'Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies (NMP)' theme is to improve the competitiveness of European industry and generate the knowledge needed to transform it from a resource-intensive to a knowledge-intensive industry.

SMASH is a research project supported by the European Commission in the 7th Framework Programme. The overall goal of SMASH is to establish new materials solutions and process technologies based on nanostructured compound semiconductors, i.e. GaN, for low-cost, power-efficient light sources for the general lighting market.

'Surface Plasmon Early Detection of Circulation Heat Shock Proteins' (SPEDOC) is a multidisciplinary European FP7 research project for early diagnosis, treatment monitoring and follow-up of cancer at the level of oncology research institutes. The goal of this three year project is the early detection of cancer by combining the latest advances of nano-optics, optical manipulation and microfluidics with the ultimate findings on the heat shock protein HSP70-recently shown to increase its expression in cancer cells. Ultrasensitive tracking of HSP70 proteins may yield to future devices enabling point of care diagnosis and eventually lead to individualized therapy.

The aim of this European research project is to study nanoscale self-assembly in two systems. Both use surfactant micelles as a template structure to hierarchically order polyelectrolytes on several length scales.

The EU funded STREP project SUBTLE is associated with nanoelectronic devices in which quantum-confined electron channels are so closely spaced to each other that tailored feedback action exists. The approach of SUBTLE is based on the application of two effects in miniaturized electronics, which one usually tries to avoid in device design: back-action of the channel on the gate and noise induced switching.

SustainComp is a large scale collaborative project financed by the European Commission. The project aims at developing new types of sustainable composite materials for a wide range of applications and has the ambition to integrate today's large enterprises on the raw material and end-use sides. (e.g. pulp mills and packaging manufacturers) and small and medium sized enterprises on the composite processing side (e.g. compounders and composite manufacturers).