Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Small science offers big opportunity for regional businesses

Abstract:
A unique opportunity for forward thinking companies to develop new products or processes based on latest emerging technologies is being launched by the region's Nanofactory.

Small science offers big opportunity for regional businesses

UK | Posted on January 20th, 2010

The Nanofactory, which brings together nanotechnology experts from the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam together with academics from Bradford, Huddersfield, Leeds and York, is looking to form partnerships with companies interested in exploring new business opportunities based on the latest advances in nanotechnology.

The project is part-funded by a £1m investment from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme that is making substantial investments over the next three years to create jobs and increase business competitiveness in the region.

Liam Sutton, Manager of the Polymer Centre and the University of Sheffield's lead officer for Nanofactory, said: "The University of Sheffield prides itself on its track record of helping companies of all shapes and sizes to build their businesses through innovation in partnership with some of the world's leading scientists and engineers. Through the Nanofactory initiative, we´ll be able to match companies' needs and challenges to our capabilities and design projects that improve our partners' bottom line while delivering scientific advances to the benefit of everyone."

Dr Nick Farmilo, from Sheffield Hallam's Materials and Engineering Research Institute (Meri), added: "Nanotechnology is ‘small-scale science' that enables the properties and behaviours of particles and materials to be applied in a diverse range of sectors, from medical device companies and chemicals firms to engineering, food technology and construction businesses. The expertise at Sheffield Hallam has proved to be invaluable in driving forward nanotechnology and making it accessible for small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) to whom it has often been out of reach in the past."

Partnerships with Nanofactory universities will allow SMEs to explore this new area of technology and potentially apply for a range of external funding opportunities, such as European Union funding, and Technology Strategy Board grants.

Nanofactory´s Director, Professor Richard Williams, commented: "Nanofactory connects the knowledge and expertise of academic researchers with the needs and challenges of companies in the region. This offers a powerful combination and driver for innovation. As a result, new fundamental and applied research programmes will be stimulated and leading university researchers will seek out funding and partnerships to deliver these."

The project will launch a series of sector-specific workshops around the region during 2010, at which the benefits of new nanotechnology advances will be outlined and discussed with delegates. The events will provide a forum for companies, those in the supply chain and technology experts to brainstorm ideas for future R&D possibilities. Ideas that are generated may form the basis of grant applications to appropriate funding bodies.

"The project is itself an enterprising approach to several key challenges, and plays to the strengths of each of the partners", says Trevor Shaw, Yorkshire Forward's executive director of finance. "For the region, this is a unique opportunity to boost spend on R&D and for universities, it will allow them to devise and deliver new research programmes that have real impact. Most importantly, for SMEs, it enables them to leverage technology expertise in the region that can underpin future business opportunities to secure their future competitiveness."

####

About Nanofactory
Nanofactory helps accelerate innovation and create commercial opportunities in micro & nano technologies by leveraging the world-class expertise offered by the Universities and businesses in the United Kingdom's Yorkshire & Humber region.

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Dr Sean Kelly
Nanofactory Business Development Manager
tel 0113 343 2571
mob 07799 071541 email

Copyright © Nanofactory

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

News and information

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Two-dimensional bimetallic selenium-containing metal-organic frameworks and their calcinated derivatives as electrocatalysts for overall water splitting March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Researchers’ approach may protect quantum computers from attacks March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Optically trapped quantum droplets of light can bind together to form macroscopic complexes March 8th, 2024

Academic/Education

Rice University launches Rice Synthetic Biology Institute to improve lives January 12th, 2024

Multi-institution, $4.6 million NSF grant to fund nanotechnology training September 9th, 2022

National Space Society Helps Fund Expanding Frontier’s Brownsville Summer Entrepreneur Academy: National Space Society and Club for the Future to Support Youth Development Program in South Texas June 24th, 2022

How a physicist aims to reduce the noise in quantum computing: NAU assistant professor Ryan Behunin received an NSF CAREER grant to study how to reduce the noise produced in the process of quantum computing, which will make it better and more practical April 1st, 2022

Announcements

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Alliances/Trade associations/Partnerships/Distributorships

Manchester graphene spin-out signs $1billion game-changing deal to help tackle global sustainability challenges: Landmark deal for the commercialisation of graphene April 14th, 2023

Chicago Quantum Exchange welcomes six new partners highlighting quantum technology solutions, from Chicago and beyond September 23rd, 2022

CEA & Partners Present ‘Powerful Step Towards Industrialization’ Of Linear Si Quantum Dot Arrays Using FDSOI Material at VLSI Symposium: Invited paper reports 3-step characterization chain and resulting methodologies and metrics that accelerate learning, provide data on device pe June 17th, 2022

University of Illinois Chicago joins Brookhaven Lab's Quantum Center June 10th, 2022

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project