NanoDesk

This project aims to improve the competitiveness of the over 6500 companies that make up the plastic sector in south-west Europe, breaking down the current barriers to investment in nanotechnology. In order to do so it will concentrate on its promotion as an essential technology for the development of new plastic materials of high added value based on the use of nanomaterials. The main tool that will be developed by the project will be the NanoDesk platform which will integrate free-access Internet tools designed to help the industries to select specific types of nanomaterials that can be used for the production of nanostructured materials and to assess in an effective and solid manner the risks of these materials to health and the environment. 

NMP-REG

NMP-REG aims at improving regional policies for delivering innovation in NMP to manufacturing by focusing on policy actions that can support it, using a coordinated action from key players. NMP-REG achieves this through exchanging experiences and Good Practices in a context of interregional activities, communication and stakeholder engagement. Partners develop Action Plans that result in improved policy instruments, more and better-targeted funding, with leverage effect in mobilising private funding; new or better models for innovation delivery thanks to cooperation across the regional innovation chain.

NOuRIsH

Nourish project aims to setup a Rapid Prototyping Open Digital Innovation Hub and its respective Web-Marketplace, which will congregate the network of European pilot lines, focused on Nanotechnology KET’s and Advanced Materials.

NOuRIsh will be instrumental in supporting the SME’s and entrepreneurs in the Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials to overcome the so-called “valley-of-death” between the research activities and the market roll-out of innovation products or services. This will be accomplished by connecting the several pilot lines spread across Europe in a Rapid Prototyping Digital Open Innovation Hub, and by offering their solutions to the SME’s and entrepreneurs through a Web-Marketplace.

Hence, NOuRIsh has two main strategic objectives:

• To promote the economic exploitation of R&D results emerging from the nanotechnology innovation and research system, especially framed by the grand challenges of Ageing & Wellbeing, Urban & Mobile living and Safe & Secure Society.
• Boost the transfer of scientific and technological knowledge on nanotechnology, and adjacent areas to the business sector.

The specific objectives of this project are to:

• Implement an internationally well-known and recognized Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials Open Digital Innovation Hub – NOuRIsH – for rapid technology deployment based on rapid prototyping, with an established network of international complementary pilot lines, and this way provide value creation for the regional, national and international industrial sectors and scientific community.
• Take an international leadership role for nanotechnology deployment through the establishment of an international network of technology & knowledge providers, whose knowledge and expertise can be integrated in offers to industrial actors, accessible on the Web-Marketplace tool to be created.
• Develop effective business models through demo development for the TRL 3-7 range (nanotech R&D, rapid prototyping services, lab-to-fab technology transfer) with the support of the digital Web-Marketplace, to increase the impact of NOuRIsH on industry.
• Strengthen the national research and innovation system of Portugal by capitalizing on existing scientific and technological knowledge, and by developing key activities for promoting the improvement of the national research, technological and innovation (RTD&I) outputs resulting from the project.

NOuRIsh activities and outcomes include:

• Network building: Create a dynamic network of fully connected and collaborating network of SMEs, start-ups, large industrial companies, private investors and other actors in the ecosystem. Initiatives of interaction and knowledge transfer, foreseeing their economic valuation, including network activities, national and international promotion.Outcome: Setup of the Innovation Hub and Strategic Plan.
• Digital Platform: The ecosystem in activity 1, will be supported by a powerful digital communication platform for bridging pilot lines facilities with customers.Outcome: Digital platform and Web-Marketplace and Sustainability plan.
• Rapid Prototyping: Demonstration of technological development close to the market foreseeing its economic valuation.Outcome: Implementing Rapid prototyping Business Plan.
• Communication & Outreach: Promotion of initiatives to enhance the collection and production of relevant information in the aim of technology valorization and transfer, like road mapping and technological surveillance.Outcome: Communication and Outreach activities.

NanoCatRed

Several health risks have been associated with the occurrence of inorganic contaminants at concentrations larger than the background levels in surface and ground waters. The sourcing of these waters for human consumption entails several risks that require mitigation in the form of water treatment processes. However, conventional water treatment technologies are not efficient in the removal of these pollutants.

Catalytic hydrogenation is a promising technology for the removal of oxygen-containing anionic contaminants (oxyanions) from water without generation of concentrated secondary waste streams.

Nevertheless, their activity, selectivity, and durability in water treatment have not been sufficiently advanced to ensure clear cost and safety advantages to offset the risks of a disruptive technology change.

We are proposing the development of nanostructured catalysts that can achieve a step-change in the performance of catalysts for hydrogenation in water. This will be achieved by combining the synthesis of novel high-activity metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) with the preparation of nanostructured supports that enhance the catalytic activity of the metallic phases. The synthesis of the nanoparticles will take advantage of recent advances in their fabrication that allow for improved activity. The preparation of the nanostructured supports will rely on recent developments in methods to tune the textural properties and surface chemistry of carbon nanomaterials to improve on the performance of the active supported metal phases. A new equipment will be developed under this project to perform long-term experiments where the efficiency and the activity of this new nanomaterials will be assessed.

NanoLACCA

The NanoLacca project has as its main objective the development of coatings with differentiated and innovative characteristics to be applied in wood substrates. To achieve the project’s ambitioned objectives, there are R&D activities planned on nanomaterials’ functionalization and their incorporation into different types of polymer coatings, and the increased adhesion between the developed coatings and wood substrates. The R&D activities on the nanomaterials’ functionalization and coating processes will focus on the following approaches: ultraviolet and infrared radiation protection, increasing the degree of brightness, resistance to scratches, chemical resistance and isolation from wood tannins.

To guarantee the project’s success, a consortium was set up consisting of a company and an entity from the scientific and technological system (STS) and with complementary capacities. The promoter company is Tintas Lacca, specialized in the production of coatings and with a deep knowledge of the corresponding industrial processes as well as the markets. The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), an RTD entity, will be the main contributor of the R&D tasks, ensuring the know-how and the most modern technologies in this field, and supporting the transfer of technological developments to the industrial environment.

Therefore, the NanoLacca project will be developed by an R&D team covering the required skills and knowhow to ensure an adequate execution of the project, and that will potentiate its results in view of enriching the final products with increased value and innovation.

NanoLab

The main objective of the nanoLab project is to enable the reinforcement of the technological infrastructure of INL with a set of equipment that will support the responsiveness of INL capabilities a more efficiently and skilled way, promoting transfer of competitiveness at national and international level and contributing to the specialization strategy territory.

In particular the project is intended to act at two levels, namely:

a) Reinforcement of the technical conditions for the functioning of the technological infrastructure, especially with regard to the clean room, through the acquisition and installation of stabilization equipment, which will minimize the interruption of clean room operations; and,

b) Reinforcement of the Clean Room Scientific Equipment to guarantee the existence of state-of-art technology capable of responding to market demands.

Thus, it is expected that the investments associated to this project can contribute to a significant increase in the technical and scientific capacity of INL and improve the efficiency of wafers manufacturing processes.

The main objective of the nanoLab project is to enable the reinforcement of the technological infrastructure of INL with a set of equipment that will support the responsiveness of INL capabilities a more efficiently and skilled way, promoting transfer of competitiveness at national and international level and contributing to the specialization strategy territory.

In particular the project is intended to act at two levels, namely:

a) Reinforcement of the technical conditions for the functioning of the technological infrastructure, especially with regard to the clean room, through the acquisition and installation of stabilization equipment, which will minimize the interruption of clean room operations; and,

b) Reinforcement of the Clean Room Scientific Equipment to guarantee the existence of state-of-art technology capable of responding to market demands.

Thus, it is expected that the investments associated to this project can contribute to a significant increase in the technical and scientific capacity of INL and improve the efficiency of wafers manufacturing processes.