Posted: April 20, 2007

Proceedings from the Nanotechnology and Security Workshop

(Nanowerk News) Nanoforum, Europe’s Nanotechnology Gateway, in collaboration with the "Nano- Converging Sciences and Technologies" Unit of DG Research, and APRE (Agenzia per la Promozione della Ricerca Europea) organized a workshop in Rome on February 23, 2007 to exchange views about the current state of the art and explore the potential of novel applications of nanotechnology for civil security. The main purpose of the workshop was to discuss and help identify priorities for nanotechnology research in the area of security, possibly for future calls in FP7.
The proceedings from this workshop are now available as a free download from Nanoforum's website.
The workshop had two sessions (one on technology and the other on societal issues) each with three invited speakers. It also had presentations from two projects submitted under FP6 (not discussed in this document), and a general discussion session.
As far as research and technology development was concerned, no new research needs, specific to nanotechnology and security, were identified. Instead, improvements in sensor technologies were highlighted (with applications in areas such as security, environment and health), and the desire to have better access to existing materials and improved networking and integration of expertise and knowledge amongst EU organizations.
In terms of societal issues, there was a clear need to involve social scientists in the design of new projects to ensure that potential ethical issues are taken into consideration from the outset.
Source: Nanoforum