January 24-25: important mission in Houston by Veneto Nanotech, the high-tech cluster on nanotechnologies applied to properties of materials.

Nanotechnology is the science of very small things. The prefix “nano” is derived from the Greek word for “dwarf”. One nanometre (nm) is equal to one-billionth of a metre, that is, about 1/80,000 of the diameter of a human hair, or 10 times the diameter of a hydrogen atom.

The essence of nanotechnology is the application of engineering principles to the molecular-scale world. Yet, nanotechnology is not just involved with small things.

It is a multidisciplinary area of research and development, and includes knowledge from several disciplines. Materials scientists, mechanical and electronic engineers and medical researchers are now forming teams with biologists, physicists and chemists.

Texas is the birthplace of nanotechnology because it was just at the Rice University , in Houston , that the fullerene form of carbon, which inspired the nanoscale science, was discovered in 1985.

In 1996 Dr Richard Smalley and Dr Robert Curl at Rice University , and Dr Alan G. MacDiarmid at the University of Texas in Dallas received the Nobel Prize for their discovery, but the Rice had already established its Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) three years earlier.

Moreover, four of the twenty-one Texas universities involved in nanotechnology research programs have developed nanotechnology-specific research centers.

On the Italian side of the science, Veneto Nanotech is the high-tech cluster on nanotechnologies applied to properties of materials.

Founded in 2003 by the Universities of Padua, Venice and Verona , its main goal is to involve research institutions, innovative companies and public and private investors in the promotion of leading entrepreneurship in nanotechnologies applied to materials.

Therefore, on January 24 and 25 a delegation from Veneto Nanotech flew to Houston in order to foster collaboration among researchers, professionals and companies, and to promote an exchange of experience and know how with Texan companies and Rice University representatives.

The mission was included in the larger project aimed at establishing a network between the main subjects involved in the nanotechnology sector and companies and institutions that work in the same field in Italy.

The Chamber of Commerce planned all the meetings and the agenda of the two days:

January 24 (1° day):

meeting with the spin-off companies in nanotechnology field (CNI, Oxane Materials and C Sixty).

The Italian representatives and the directors of the companies discussed the possibility of collaborations and joint ventures, as well as the possibility of promoting on-the-job training for Italian students.

January 25 (2° day):

presentation of Veneto Nanotech at the Rice University and meetings with the following centers and institutes:

•  CNST - Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology

•  CBEN - Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology

•  EESI - Environmental and Energy Study Institute

•  CNL group (Dr Howard Schmidt, Dr Bob Hauge and Dr Rick Smalley)

Discussion of possible collaboration between the Rice University and Veneto Nanotech in the near future.

The mission was the first step of the very important and complex activity carried out with the support and the assistance of the IACC aimed at creating the nanotechnology network among companies and institutions in Italy and Texas .

Veneto Nanotech was chosen as the master subject in the project because of its on-going research in the field.

In fact the Italian North Eastern region is the most innovative region in Italy and one of the most developed in Europe . It has seen the development of many small and medium-size enterprises based on the production of materials that will be affected by nanotechnologies.

However, the IACC is trying to extend the project to other Italian technological groups, in order to involve many other subjects in the sector and to put them in direct contact with the state of Texas , which is definitely the center of the nanotechnology revolution.

Yet, Texas is not the only state in which nanotechnology research is improving. In fact another three regions, California , the Midwest, the Boston / New York corridor have established them as leading regions for nanotechnology research and future commercialization.

Most industrialized countries are funding nanotechnology research. Experts estimate that Europe, Asia Pacific and the USA will spend equal amounts of money on nanotechnology research in future years.

Nanotechnology solutions are already found in a range of commercial products, and many advances are being made in the healthcare and energy savings fields.

It will certainly revolutionize many industries and affect every aspect of our lives, making it possible to face the greatest challenges of the world.

Vera Panno

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