GENNESYS - First International Congress on Nanotechnology
From 26 to 28 May, hundreds of scientists and politicians around the world have participated at the First International GENNESYS Congress of Nanotechnology and Infrastructure Research. This is the first international event on the field, which will be key in the future for high-level scientific research and development of industrial innovation. The conference, hold in Barcelona International Convention Center, has been organized by the UAB Research Park, the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona, the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory and the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchroton DESY.
All our modern technologies from information and communication, energy, and the environment to health and transport depend on the development of materials that can withstand the highest mechanical and thermal load, transfer data at the greatest speeds, safely store data in the smallest dimensions, ensure biocompatible transplants, remove monoxides from car exhausts, or separate protons and electrons in fuel cells. There are great expectations for the future of nanomaterials science and worldwide attention has been drawn to the enormous potential of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
Although Europe’s expertise in nanomaterials science is excellent, it is highly fragmented into scientific disciplines, sectors and national efforts which are on a global level often subcritical. Europe would considerably benefit from a strategic pan-European, multidisciplinary research involving all sectors and the most advanced European research infrastructures. According to Jordi Marquet, general director of UAB Research Park, "Nanotechnology is destined to become a general application technology, such as electrical or computer science." Professor Carles Miravitlles, former director of the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona and CSIC research professor, explains that "we have managed to bring together the world's leading experts. It is therefore a unique opportunity to lay the groundwork for the future of research in nanomaterials and their developments in industry".
This is the great theme of GENNESYS, a foresight project to roadmap the future research needs and to pinpoint the various scientific challenges and technological limitations in the various areas in nanomaterials research. The GENNESYS White Paper as the result of a several year-long collaborative work of more than 600 experts from all over the world gives an overall picture of the present and future developments in the large spectrum of nanomaterials and highlights the important roles of advanced analytical equipment at European research infrastructures, especially at synchrotron radiation, laser and neutron facilities.
The first International GENNESYS Congress on Nanotechnology and Research Infrastructures will be held in Barcelona from 26-28 May 2010 under the auspices of the Spanish EC presidency. The congress’ mission is to establish a strategic partnership between nanomaterials research laboratories, universities, industry and the European research infrastructures.
The GENNESYS congress is the most important international event in this field which involves high level representatives from international and European research institutions and organisations, universities, industry as well as policy- and decision makers. It will make key recommendations how to structure and organise nanomaterials development and how to embark on long-term research, common training and education strategies and open innovation schemes to promote a new culture in the world of nanomaterials in which research-discoveries will smoothly be transferred into industrial innovations by human-resource networks around modern research infrastructure platforms.
The congress program includes many high-quality speakers and leaders from organisations around the world such as Clayton Teague, Director of the Federal National Nanotechnology Office, USA, Arden L. Bement, Director of NSF, USA, Teruo Kishi, Advisor to the National Institute for Materials Science, Japan, A. Mas-Colell, ERC Secretary General, Carlo Rizutto, Chair of the European Strategy Forum for research Infrastructures ESFRI, Iain Matthai, Director General of EMBL and Rudiger Iden, Senior Vice President BASF. The congress brings together key policymakers from major world regions, including the European Commission, Russia, Germany, France, Spain, the UK, as well as from the USA and from Asia.
The GENNESYS congress is an ideal platform for presenting research institutions and organisations to a wide audience. The exhibition offers outstanding opportunities to meet the leading international companies, innovative SMEs and research centers that are developing and applying nanotechnology.
The congress is organised by a comprehensive consortium of partners, including the Institut de Ciencia de Materials de Barcelona ICMAB, the UAB Research Park Barcelona, the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY and the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory INL in cooperation with the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation.
References
GENNESYS - First International Congress on Nanotechnology and Research Infrastrucutres. Barcelona, 26-28 May 2010. Barcelona International Convention Center.
