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Nov. 3, 2004 – The United Kingdom divvied out more than $26 million in late August through its micro and nanotechnology manufacturing initiative to a score of companies, research organizations and universities. In all, 25 recipients ranging from corporations like Rolls Royce to smaller enterprises like NanoSight received grants for facilities and research from the Department of Trade and Industry.
The department also allocated more than $5 million for a facility at INEX, a business organization created to manage and commercialize technologies from the Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at the University of Newcastle. INEX, for Innovation in Nanotechnology Exploitation, kicked off two years ago with the mission to make the region’s biomedical nanotechnology and fabrication capabilities accessible to industries worldwide.
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The UK says it will invest more than $150 million over a five-year period into micro and nanotech to grow a technology-based economy with high-paying jobs. The first round of awards went for projects as varied as high-definition, laser-assisted inkjet printing by Fujifilm Electronic Imaging Ltd. to anti-corrosive nanocomposite coatings by the Paint Research Association.
In a separate program, the semiconductor and chipmaker Semefab Scotland Ltd. began construction at its Glenrothes plant in September after receiving a grant for about $444,000. The funds from the Scottish government will be used to expand Semefab’s MEMS program.
The company makes MEMS temperature, pressure, gas and chemical sensors for engine monitoring. The new facility is expected to be completed in February 2005.
Euroscience forum draws a crowd
The Euroscience Open Forum made its debut in late August in Stockholm with several sessions focused on nanotechnology and its impacts. Euroscience, a pan-European association created seven years ago to foster debate and interaction among scientists and society, reported that 1,800 people attended the three-day event, about 300 more than expected.
The program offered several presentations geared toward nonscientists and the 350 journalists who covered the talks. They included a discussion on “molecular beauty,” where six researchers — one from as far away as Canada — examined the aesthetic qualities in nanoscale objects.
The Nobel Museum, Stockholm used the forum to promote its exhibit, Science + Fiction, with nanotechnology one of four theme subjects on display. The installation combined scientific imagery with audio essays from scientists and artists.
Euroscience organizers attempted to educate as well as entertain attendees. Neal Lane, former science adviser to then President Bill Clinton and now a professor of public policy in Texas, reviewed the steps leading to creation of the National Nanotechnology Initiative under the Clinton administration.
A panel with the diverse mix of speakers including Mark Welland, head of the University of Cambridge Nanoscale Science Laboratory and Douglas Parr, a representative for Greenpeace, debated the possible use and misuse of nanotechnology.
Partners launch Frontiers
In an unrelated event, European nanoscientists gathered at the University of Twente in the Netherlands to launch a life sciences consortium uniting 12 nanotechnology institutes and 192 researchers and staff from throughout Europe. The Frontiers project received about $6 million from the European Commission to encourage collaborations and the development of nanobiotech research clusters.
The four-year project is expected to give Europe a competitive edge in life sciences. Participants used the kickoff meeting to organize committees and begin knitting a network that will share information on equipment and other resources. Frontiers also will focus on curriculum development and business creation.
The MESA+ Research Institute at the University of Twente coordinated the event. MESA+ researcher Jan-Willem Weener is the program manager of Frontiers, which includes partners from the UK, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, France, Sweden and Switzerland.