The NanoKTN supports European Commission's investment in economic wealth of Europe

Citation

(2010), "The NanoKTN supports European Commission's investment in economic wealth of Europe", Microelectronics International, Vol. 27 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/mi.2010.21827aab.011

The NanoKTN supports European Commission's investment in economic wealth of Europe

Article Type: Industry news From: Microelectronics International, Volume 27, Issue 1

The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK's primary knowledge-based networks for micro and nanotechnologies, has announced its support for the €1 billion that has been made available by the European Commission for new projects, through its information communications technology (ICT) and nanoscience, nanotechnology, materials, and new production processes (NMP) funds, as part of the Framework Programme 7. Over the next nine months, several funding calls have been scheduled to support and encourage the development of research and production in the micro and nanotechnology markets. The UK is widely expected to benefit greatly form this investment.

The European Commission has launched the funding opportunities to improve the competitiveness of European industry and to ensure Europe is able to shape future developments to meet the demands of society and economy. The European Commission aims to strengthen Europe's Science and Technology base and guarantee global leadership in the market. The Framework 7 Programme is the main mechanism to enable this through a combination of investments which harnesses the collective expertise of the EU Member States and other participating countries.

“European Framework Programme 7 enables organizations, through collaborative research and development, to access new partners, skills and knowledge in the development of their future products and services,” explains the FP7UK National Contact Point for NMP, Dr Alastair McGibbon.

McGibbon continues, “Each year the European Commission awards more than €250 m to collaborative projects which are underpinned by nanotechnology. The European Commission has announced their calls for proposals launched this year, covering many important nanotechnology end-markets. The UK has a wealth of academic and industrial expertise and we are confident that the latest funding calls will help to bring together leading professionals in the micro and nanotechnology markets and develop European projects with impact on a global scale.”

The ICT initiative aims to help drive and stimulate product service and process innovation through ICT use and value creation in Europe. By doing this, the European Commission aims to ensure that a wide-ranging number of applications are delivered to market and to encourage benefits for European citizens, businesses, industry, and governments.

The ICT Theme is now into its fifth call with an estimated allocation of €730 million this year alone. It is divided into a number of different challenges covering varying areas of interest. Of particular interest to the micro and nano research communities is Challenge 3, covering components, systems, and engineering, of which €135 million is devoted towards collaborative projects. There is also €70 million contributed by the theme to the new public private partnerships (PPP) initiative.

The allocation for ICT Challenge 3 is split between three contains topics, nanoelectronics (€35 million), photonics (€50 million), and microsystems and smart minitarised systems (€80 million). Proposals are called for large, small, and SME-focused collaborative R&D projects. The deadline for full proposals in Challenge 3 is October 26, 2009.

The PPP initiative is a new initiative which is designed to respond to the current economic crisis for providing money towards new cross disciplinary challenges in factories of the future, Green cars and energy efficient buildings. Both the ICT and NMP thematic areas along with other priorities are contributing to these competitions which are run under broadly the same rules as Framework 7. Deadlines for these proposals are November 3, 2009.

The European Commission is also running the 4th FP7 NMP call, with a delegated budget of €300 million, €200 million of which is set aside for collaborative projects, a large proportion of which will cover the development and application of nanotechnologies for many sectors. The call is divided into several specific research topics including micro and nanotechnology manufacturing, risk management, sensors, and toxicology modelling. The first deadline for proposal outlines is December 8, 2009 and the second deadline for final proposals is May 18, 2010.

The NanoKTN is dedicated to helping its members understand how to write a successful proposal and identify suitable partnerships for collaborative work. Through a combination of updates, e-bulletins, seminars, and public presentations, the NanoKTN aims to assist its members and create connections between research, academics and manufacturers.

“Nanotechnologies and microtechnologies are being recognised as important means of wealth and job creation for the UK and Europe, and successful development and uptake of new technology is central to the UK's wealth creation in the next twenty years,” says Dr Alec Reader, Director of the NanoKTN. “Choosing the right call is important for UK organisations to expand their ambitions without wasting unnecessary effort and expense. Support for preparing calls is crucial and at the NanoKTN we are committed to assisting our members in making the best possible decisions to ensure we continue to see inward investment into the UK nano and microtechnology markets.”

Established by the Technology Strategy Board, the NanoKTN is managed by Centre for Process Innovation Ltd, a leading technology development and consulting company.