Interview Italy-florida Mission - Italy-America Chamber of Commerce ...

Mission Nanotech
Mission by Veneto Nanotech, high-tech cluster on nanotechnologies applied to properties of materials.
Vera Panno
Nanotechnology is the science of very small things. The
prefix "nano" is derived from the Greek word for "dwarf".
One nanometer (nm) is equal to one-billionth of a meter,
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 & Development
that assumes understanding of several subjects.
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 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, Veneto Nanotech has a main goal, which is to
involve research institutions, innovative companies both
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 a larger project aimed at
establishing a network among companies and institutions
involved in the nanotechnology sector in both Italy
and Texas.
The Chamber of Commerce planned the agenda for the
two meetings:
January 24 (Day 1):
meeting with the spin-off companies in nanotechnology
field (CNI, Oxane Materials and C Sixty).
Italian representatives and companies' directors discussed
the possibility of collaborations and joint ventures,
as well as the possibility of promoting on-the-job training
for Italian students.
January 25 (Day 2):
presentation of Veneto Nanotech at 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 a 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 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.
Furthermore, 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. Indeed, 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 United States will spend equal amounts of money on
nanotechnology research in future years.
Nanotechnology solutions are already found in a wide
range of commercial products, and many advances are
being made in the healthcare and energy savings fields.
Certainly, this science will revolutionize many industries
and affect every aspect of our lives, making it possible to
face the greatest challenges of the world. �
.19 .it italian trade