High Level Conference on Nanotechnologies

This conference brings together political decision makers, scientists and companies in order to analyse and discuss the opportunities in this important Science and Technology field, which has been deemed strategic both from a scientific and economic point of view. The Portuguese Presidency of the European Union deems this Science and Technology field a priority and a presentation of the Competitiveness Council’s Suggested Conclusions for Nanotechnology and Nanoscience is scheduled to take place this same week.

The European Commission recently presented its Communication “Nanosciences and nanotechnologies: An action plan for Europe 2005-2009" First Implementation Report 2005-2007 on 6th September 2007 on the “Nanosciences and nanotechnologies: An action plan for Europe 2005-2009" Communication of 7th June 2005.
Also participating at the conference will be directors of around 25 research laboratories from 10 countries (including 2 Fraunhofer Gesellschaft laboratories, a company with which Portugal has ties under the Partnerships for the Future scheme, and 7 Portuguese Associated Laboratories) and the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), which is being set up in Braga under a joint Spanish and Portuguese initiative, together with university researchers and managers from more than 15 companies operating in the nanotechnology area, including major companies like ABB, Bosch, EADS, IBM, FIAT, Infineon, Philips, STMicroelectronics, Vaisala Group and Zeiss.

There will be a session dedicated to two JTI – Joint Technology Initiatives on the conference agenda. These initiatives are related to nanotecnology and will be among the first group of JTIs to be approved: Nanoelectronics JTI (ENIAC – European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council) and Embedded Systems JTI (ARTEMIS – Advanced Research and Technology for Embedded Intelligence and Systems).
Another session will be dedicated to the various European Technology Platforms related to nanotechnology, namely: ENIAC (Nanotechnology), ARTEMIS (Embedded Systems), Nanomedicine, EPoSS (Smart Systems), Fotónica21, Textiles, Manufuture (Future Manufacturing Technologies)/ MINAM (Micro- and Nano- Manufacturing), EuMAT (Advanced Engineering Materials and Technologies).

There will also be sessions on the following topics:

• Research institutions in Europe - success stories
• Nanomedicine
• Nanotechnology Applications: Food, Environment and Energy Aspects
• Production Nanotechnology (including textiles)
• Nanoelectronics
• Organic electronics and Micro and Nano Systems
• Computation in the Nanotechnology Era.

The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) was set up as an innovative international research laboratory under a joint initiative by Spain and Portugal that was decided on at the Summit between the two countries in November 2005. The premise was to develop a laboratory of international scientific excellent that could attract researchers of the highest calibre on a worldwide level and which would be open to members from other countries, both European and from other continents.

On 19th November 2007, the day before the High Level Conference on Nanotechnologies, 9 committees and councils of various EU programmes are meeting in Braga, most of which are related to nanotechnologies. One of these is National ICT Research Directors Forum Meeting which brings together the Directors-General responsible for the field of Information and Communication Technologies in the 27 Member States of the EU and external countries associated with the EU’s Framework Research Programme.