NRW Nano Conference: scientists and entrepreneurs present the nanotechnology location North Rhine-Westphalia

For the first time, the Ministry of Innovation and the city of Dortmund, Germany, are inviting to a large nanotechnology conference in North Rhine-Westphalia: the NRW Nano Conference. On February 18 and 19, 2008, hundreds of scientists and entrepreneurs from Germany and abroad are expected to come to Dortmund. The aim of the conference is to bring together researchers in the field of nanotechnology and users from industry to accelerate the transfer of research results into products.

The conference shows the strength of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in this forward-looking technology to an international public. The strategy for nanotechnology of the state government will be presented, too. In an accompanying exhibition, North Rhine-Westphalian companies, research and academic institutions in the fields of micro and nanotechnology will present themselves.

"Nanotechnology is one of four areas on which the state government concentrates its technology funding", says Innovation Minister Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, "North Rhine-Westphalia is one of Europe's leading locations in this trend-setting field." This is illustrated by the example of Dortmund where a strong micro-nano-cluster has provided many new high-tech jobs, the Minister said.

On the first day of the conference, February 18, Minister Pinkwart will explain the strategy for nanotechnology of the state government. Then there will be an overview of the activities of the European Commission in the field of nanotechnology. North Rhine-Westphalian scientists will introduce the issues nanoelectronics, nanoanalysis, nanomaterials and nanophotonics afterwards.

On the second day of the conference, February 19, the participants will deal with these areas of nanotechnology in workshops. Partners of the conference are the MST.factory dortmund and the IVAM Microtechnology Network.

Further information on the NRW Nano Conference and the opportunity to sign up can be found at www.ivam.de/index.php?content=messe_details&id=318&clear=2 and at www.mikrotechnik-dortmund.de (German only).