High Technology and New Materials
Since 2004 the activities of the High Technology and New Material Area have been focussed on nanotechnology.
Nano-science and its derivative technologies have proved their potential for an accelerated growth of the developing countries if the applications are designed and tailored to best fit their needs.
Nanotechnology, unlike other technologies, offers a unique chance to bridge the technological gap between industrialized and developing countries. In its advanced form, nanotechnology will have a significant impact on almost all industries and all areas of society. It will offer more effective, longer lasting, cleaner, safer, and smarter products for home, communication, medicine, energy, transportation, agriculture and industry in general.
Furthermore, the knowledge acquisition issue represents an important and sensitive challenge due to the fact that nanotechnology represents a convergence of several different sciences and topics (i.e. physics, engineering, mathematics, chemistry, biology, etc.). Therefore, to promote the use of nanotechnology in developing countries, to improve and implement social and economic development, the following aspects became crucial:
- partnerships between academia and industry;
- promotion of the cooperation and networking between scientific and technological research centres and industry located both in industrialized and developing countries;
- promotion of projects dealing with the creation of innovative products developing, using and adapting nanotechnology to address local needs and/or for international markets and
- extensive use of ad hoc financial instruments.
In the past...
In the past, the Area implemented other programmes (such laser applications, new materials, telecommunication technologies etc.), which have now been discontinued.
Go to ICS past programmes...
Contacts:
Graziano Bertogli, Area Chief
Emanuela Corazzi, Secretary