Eurecat and ICN2 will accelerate the transfer of nanotechnology research to industry

by Àlex Argemí

The two institutions signed an agreement covering topics identified in the strategic objectives of the Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation of Catalonia (RIS3CAT). The collaboration connects research and industry and may result in applications in fields such as medicine, electronics, biomaterials and energy production.

The Eurecat technology center and ICN2 will collaborate to accelerate the transfer to industry of research at the nanoscale by developing promising processes and materials. They will focus on new features with a potential impact on the market, such as graphene.

The agreement, which was signed by the Corporate and Operations General Director of Eurecat, Xavier López, and Professor Pablo Ordejón, Director of ICN2, aims to orient nanoscience and nanotechnology research towards industry. It will be achieved through products with new features which can be produced on a large scale.

The agreement will cover topics identified in the strategic objectives and pillars of the Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation of Catalonia (RIS3CAT). This initiative gives priority to sectors such as food, energy and resources, industrial systems, sustainable mobility and health, as well as emerging activities in the fields of nanotechnology, advanced materials, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing.

These specialties have synergies with different areas of Eurecat industrial technology, ranging from new processes of flexible manufacturing, developing intelligent and wearables products as well as research developed by the technology center in the fields of plastic, metal, ceramics and composites. Eurecat also encompasses specialties related to electronic printing, sustainability, food and health.

Scientific advances driven from ICN2 have already resulted in transfer of knowledge to companies from different sectors and have led to the creation of several spin-off companies. Scientists are debating the future of the implications of nanotechnology, which may be able to create new materials and devices with multiple applications in fields ranging from medicine and electronics to biomaterials and production energy.

Information via: Eurecat