The "NANO: Wissenschaft. Wirtschaft. Wirkung. 09" event the exhibition
for the Austrian NANO
Initiative of the BMVIT on 9 November at Tech Gate Vienna has been fully
booked for a number of days. Since 2004, 50 million euros has been invested
in high-calibre research and commercially-oriented development work as part
of the initiative. This approach has launched numerous patents and inventions
onto the international market. These developments will be presented at the exhibition
as part of a programme involving both Austrian and international experts.
Federal Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology Doris Bures is confident
that the exhibition will demonstrate how investment in applied research really
does "pay off" in the truest sense of the word. The Minister sees
the keen interest in the BMVIT conference as an encouraging sign that business
and research institutes are still prepared to invest in research and new technologies
despite the tough economic times. "Research, technology and innovation
are crucial to economic growth and increased employment levels", explains
the Minister. "The best way to get results is to promote research through
an applied, commercially-oriented approach. Today's developments are destined
for tomorrow's market."
Bringing basic research and application-based research closer together a specific
aim of the NANO Initiative programme has worked extremely well in terms of overall
investment. The results are tangible and, after five years of the programme,
the application has been catapulted into the limelight. Almost 30 percent of
the total investment level, or 20 million euros, is being invested in nanotechnology
by the companies and research organisations themselves.
INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC EXPERTS REPORT ON THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Speakers at the event include Christos Tokamanis, head of the "Nanosciences
and Nanotechnologies" unit in the "Industrial Technologies" directorate
of the European Commission. His presentation will set out the European Commission's
strategy in relation to nanotechnology, which facilitates the rapid commercial
application of scientific findings. This key topic will also be taken up by
Dr. Alex Dommann, CTO of the Centre Suisse d Electronique et de Microtechnique
(CSEM) in Neuchatel, Switzerland.
Other experts will also be reporting on the speedy development of the technology
and how these new discoveries should be handled in a responsible manner: Dr.
Alex Dommann, CSEM; Dr. Arno Köpf, Böhlerit GmbH & Co. KG; Prof.
Dr. Wolfgang Knoll, Director of the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH;
university lecturer Michael Nentwich, Director of the Institute of Technology
Assessment of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and Alexander Pogany, BMVIT.
WHEN SCIENCE MEETS BUSINESS: AN OVERVIEW OF THE EIGHT PROJECT CLUSTERS
From semiconductor systems to coatings and medicine the NANO Initiative covers
numerous aspects of nanotechnology. However, the eight project clusters are
not solely dedicated to research. They are also aimed at developing concrete
applications and their products have already met with great market success in
key sectors.
For example, the Nano-HEALTH group is developing new multifunctional nanoparticles
for use in the healthcare sector, whether in clinical imaging based on magnetic
resonance, the early diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases or the targeted
administration of drugs.
In contrast, the ISOTEC project cluster has taken a different direction altogether
and is focused on the development of a multi-analyte sensor. This technology
can be used to monitor foodstuffs or ambient air and has a range of applications
for workplace safety.
The NANOCOAT project, on the other hand, is focused not on sensors but on surfaces.
By altering nanostructures, this group is developing new multifunctional surface
properties. As a result, a new coating process can now be used to manufacture
coatings for the automotive industry that are extremely strong, tough and dense
and exhibit low coefficients of friction.
The NSI project cluster also focuses on surfaces. This group's work is centred
on customized nanoparticles, nanostructured surfaces and nanocomposites for
use in areas such as organ reconstruction, printable security markings and coatings
with long-term UV protection.
In the PHONAS project, the term coating is associated first and foremost with
transparent, self-cleaning and water-repellent properties. Thanks to this research,
indoor and outdoor products can now be treated with special coatings, which
could be particularly useful in the protection of historical monuments and the
environment.
The NanoComp group is also working on material properties, although it is focused
on nanocomposites. Improved fracture-mechanical behaviour, excellent wear resistance
and optical transparency are the attributes of these new high-performance materials
for the aviation and automotive sectors.
The NILaustria project cluster has achieved outstanding progress in the electronics
sector. Exceptionally high resolution coupled with outstanding performance,
fast and cost-effective-ion beams are used to create stamps with structures
measuring just 50 nanometres.
The work of the PLATON project is most relevant to the environmental technology,
solar cell, medical technology and atom chip sectors. Indeed, entirely new measuring
devices and tools are already being used by Austrian companies.
Monday, 9 November, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The far-ranging achievements of the NANO Initiative will take centre stage
during presentations and discussions at "NANO: Wissenschaft. Wirtschaft.
Wirkung. 09" (NANO: Science. Business. Performance. 09) at Tech Gate Vienna.
There will also be the opportunity to speak to the scientists and businesspeople
involved in the groups in person and find out exactly what Austria's companies
and research organisations have achieved to date as part of the NANO Initiative.
What's more, the programme management section of the Austrian Research Promotion
Agency (FFG) will be on hand with advice about the various Austrian and European
funding opportunities that are available for research and development projects.
An invitation and further information can be found at: www.nanoinitiative.at
or www.ffg.at
Posted November 6th, 2009
