Innovation Europe > News > Innovation EU Vol2-1 > Innovation in nanotechnology research

Europe has the vision of becoming a knowledge-based society, providing high added value to products and allowing it to compete with the rapid technological and economic developments in countries such as India and China. The vision is that this will secure jobs for Europe, boost the economy, and help address societal problems such as sustainability and meeting the needs of a growing and ageing population. Nanotechnology research can help Europe achieve this vision.

What is nanotechnology?

Put simply, it exploits the novel properties that materials have at the scale of clusters of atoms or molecules. This scale (on the order of 1 to 100 nanometres, but not absolute) can cause materials to have different physical, electrical, magnetic or optical properties compared to their bulk counterparts.

These can be manifested as tough ceramics (for harder-wearing machine components), stronger composites (to replace heavier metals and alloys in construction), altered colour (for lighting and displays, and diagnostics), altered electronic states (conducting, semi-conducting, insulating), altered hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity (making fabrics stain resistant, machine components anti-fouling for example), and so on.

Nanomaterials find potential applications in all different industry and business sectors: from food to medicine, energy to environment, transport to ICT.

The european context

Europe as a whole is successful in nanoscience and nanotechnology research as demonstrated by the number of publications from European institutes. However, it is less efficient in converting nanotechnology research into commercial products, as shown by the low ratio of patents to publications.

Ratio of nanotechnology research patents to publications in the EU, US, Japan and China for all nanotechnology and for three broad sectors: chemistry and materials; health, medicine and nanobiotechnology; and ICT. Information from ObservatoryNANO.

The EU falls behind both the US and Japan in terms of patent applications, despite leading in terms of nanotechnology research publications. The majority of funding for nanotechnology research in the EU is from the public sector, with industry accounting for less than half, and venture capital funding for as little as 3.6% of the global total. Therefore, the EU may be failing to capitalise on its generously funded nanotechnology research and reaching the goal of a knowledge-based economy.

This European paradox is being addressed by policy-makers and business leaders through a variety of means. One of these mechanisms is the European Technology Platform (ETP). There are some 40 of these, led by industry and including many different stakeholders (SMEs, government, research institutes, universities) to develop strategic research agendas (SRA) that will push the knowledge and innovation envelope in Europe. Several of these are of great importance to the development and application of nanotechnology research such as: the European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council (ENIAC); Future Manufacturing Technologies (MANUFUTURE); Nanotechnologies for Medical Applications; Photonics; Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem); and NANOfutures. ETPs collectively are a major influence in public and private funding on an EU scale, with their SRAs informing the main tool for EU-wide public funding of research, the Framework Programmes. Several are now Joint Technology Initiatives (public-private partnerships) with specific funding to realise their R&D objectives.

What are the nanotechnology research opportunities for europe?

The ObservatoryNANO project is funded under the Seventh Framework Programme to support policy decisions on nanotechnology research. With a remit to observe 10 broad industrial sectors it has published analyses of the maturity of different nanotechnology research developments, and their implication for existing industries, and placed these in a global context, indicating some of the challenges that the EU faces to realise the potential benefits in each case.

In fact, the EU has great strengths in many different sectors:

• Transport: R&D includes lighter and stronger structural materials (nanostructured metals and alloys, composites including nanofibres, nanoclays and carbon nanotubes); nanostructured metals for more effective catalysts using less material; nanostructured ceramics for greater wear resistance (on moving parts, and car exterior); rubber-nanoclay composites for reduced roll resistance in tyres. Several EU manufacturers are active in these areas, including Fiat and Pirelli.
• Energy: R&D includes nanostructured battery and supercapacitor electrodes made from more abundant and less toxic metals and metal oxides (such as iron phosphates) that provide more power and higher energy density; novel photovoltaic cells made from organic dyes and nanoparticles of titanium dioxide that are cheaper than silicon-based cells and can be applied to many different surfaces (including flexible ones) and from other semiconductor thin-films (for example, copper, indium, gallium, selenide [CIGS]). Several EU manufacturers are active in these areas, including G24 innovations, Solaronix and CSG Solar.
• Medicine: R&D includes reformulation of existing drugs to reduce the need for solvents, and lower the active amount required by improving uptake by the patient; new minimally invasive imaging and diagnostic technologies (for example, removing the need for samples to be sent to labs, improving on the scope and sensitivity of MRI and ultrasound, monitoring blood chemistry without taking blood samples); new materials for regenerative medicine (for example, structuring surfaces so that cells and biomolecules can attach better, or not attach at all). Several EU manufacturers are active in these areas, including GlaxoSmithKline, Philips, MagForce GmbH, Heraeus and Bayer.

Many of these developments are driven forward through multi-organisation collaborations such as the ETPs, and those described above are either close to or on the market. European (and other global) societies face significant (Grand) challenges relating to the environment; providing clean drinking water, sustainable energy and transport; and supporting the health of a growing and ageing population. In these challenges, nanotechnology research has a major role to play. Indeed, nanotechnology research provides alternative solutions to problems that otherwise could only be addressed by a radical change in lifestyle for those of us in the developed world, while at the same time providing those in developing countries the opportunity to realise these as socio-economic benefits.

About the institute of nanotechnology

Established in 1997, the Institute of Nanotechnology (IoN) is a membership organisation that works closely with government, industry, and academia to support the responsible development of nanotechnology research for the benefit of wider society. IoN is a Professional Affiliate of the Engineering Council in the UK and is an Investor in People. It is a registered Scottish Charity (No. SC025709).

Further information on IoN membership, events, initiatives, and the nanotechnology research projects we are delivering can be found on our website (see below).

About the observatorynano

The ObservatoryNANO project is funded to provide scientific, technical and economic analysis of nanotechnologies, and consider their ethical, societal, EHS and regulatory issues.

It is led by the Institute of Nanotechnology and includes: VDI Technologiezentrum (DE); Commissariat à l’énergie atomique (CEA) (FR); Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) (UK); Malsch TechnoValuation (MTV) (NL); triple innova (DE); Spinverse (FI); Bax and Willems Consulting Venturing (B&W) (ES); Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) (NL); Technical University of Darmstadt (TUD) (DE); Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca Industriale (AIRI) (IT); Nano and Micro Technology Consulting (NMTC) (DE); Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA) (CH); University of Aarhus (DK); MERIT – Universiteit Maastricht (NL), Technology Centre AS CR (CR).

For more information on ObservatoryNano, contact:
Dr Mark Morrison, project co-ordinator
E-mail: mark.morrison@nano.org.uk
Website: www.observatory-nano.eu

For more information on the Institute of Nanotechnology,
visit: Website: www.nano.org.uk