News

COVID-19 EVENTS FUNDED PROJECTS GENERAL INL PICKS INL STATEMENTS INNOVATION MOST POPULAR PEOPLE RESEARCH SCALE EXPERIENCES SCALE TRAVELS SEMICONDUCTORS SINFONIA PROJECT SPOTLIGHT WOMEN IN SCIENCE WOMEN IN STEM

INL Summit 2016 – NanoDigest – October 18

Braga, 17/10/2016 – The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) is dedicating its 2016 annual Summit – NanoDigest – to the fascinating subject of food. Specialists from different areas will gather at INL in Braga this October 18th and 19th to discuss challenges & trends related to the whole food chain, with a special focus on food processing, food additives, food packaging, food quality and monitoring areas. The opening session, this Tuesday will be attended by the Spanish Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation, Carmen Vela, and the Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, to present the National Perspective on Innovation and Food. The Mayor of the city of Braga Ricardo Rio will also be present in the opening session. Full press release and programme here.

INL Summit 2016 – NanoDigest

The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) is dedicating its 2016 annual Summit – NanoDigest – to the fascinating subject of food. Specialist from different areas will gather at INL in Braga this October 18 and 19 to discuss challenges & trends related with the whole food chain, with a special focus on food processing, food additives, food packaging, food quality and monitoring areas. For two days leading industrial players from the food industry, business representatives, food entrepreneurs, representatives from regional & national governmental institutions, consumer organisations, gastronomy and researchers will discuss the upcoming novelties and changes in the food sector. The INL Summit will provide an opportunity to debate the latest developments, trends, as well as practical challenges encountered in the food sector. It will be an opportunity to listen to thought-provoking presentations from national and international reputed industry experts and hear innovative ideas to implement in your workplace. Nanotechnology will play a key role in the food system in the next future facing the main challenges for this century. How to feed the growing world population, how to make healthier, safer and tastier foods or how to make sustainable the food system are some of the challenges that can […]

Workshop on Quantum Materials and Quantum Technologies

INL will host a Workshop on Quantum Materials and Quantum Technologies this September 13-14. The aim of the workshop is to bring together researchers from University of Minho (UMinho) and INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory INL, together with a selection of distinguished external speakers, to discuss the potential for collaborations in the broad areas of Quantum Materials and Quantum Technologies, in the context of the recently signed agreement for collaboration between UM and INL. The speakers are required to set the level of their presentations keeping in mind the diverse background of the participants. The list of topics to be discussed includes Quantum information, Quantum Sensors, Quantum optics, Quantum Plasmonics, Optoelectronics and Spin physics in graphene and other 2D materials, etc. This event is sponsored in part by SPINOGRAPH, a Marie Curie ITN on Spintronics in Graphene. AGENDA

INL hosted the EDA Seminar on Metamaterials for Defence Applications

On 15th June 2016, took place at INL an EDA seminar to address the effects hostile environments have on materials as well as possible solutions to mitigate these effects. About 31 experts from various Europeans Institutions – Ministries of Defence, Armed Forces, European Industry, and Academia – participated in this seminar. The main outcome of the seminar was the identification of promising solutions such as coatings, structural health monitoring, smart materials, additive manufacturing and nanotechnology fabrication methods. The seminar was co-organized by the EDA’s CapTech on Materials & Structures, the Ministry of Defence Portugal, the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) and the University of Beira Interior (UBI).

INL and UMinho launch joint laboratory – the Quanta Lab

The INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory joined forces with the University of Minho to create a joint laboratory. The Quanta Lab is devoted to research and training on Quantum Materials and Quantum Technologies, two cutting edge research areas that address several of the most important and fundamental questions in Materials Science and Condensed Matter Physics, and hold the promise of a new wave of technological innovations that is known as the second quantum revolution. The creation of the new centre was officially announced on July 1, 2016. The Director-General of INL, Lars Montelius, and the Rector of the University of Minho, António Cunha, signed the agreement in a ceremony presided over by the Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor. On the occasion, the German physicist Prof. Jorg Wrachtrup (University of Stuttgart) delivered a colloquium on the topic “Quantum sensors: From basic science to prototypes”. “The field of quantum materials aims to explore the emergent properties, such as superconductivity, magnetism and exact quantisation of conductance, that arise in many systems as a result of competing interactions and also their so-called topological properties. Essential in this endeavour will be the collaboration between physicists, chemists, biologists, engineers, experimentalists, […]

Lifeng Liu was awarded the SPE Young Researcher Prize 2015

Lifeng Liu – Researcher and Head of the NESCS group at INL – was recently awarded by SPE – The Portuguese Electrochemical Society the Young Researcher Prize 2015. The award was created in 2010 by the SPE in order to promote scientific research in electrochemistry in Portugal and distinguishes researchers under 40, who have made a substantial contribution to the electrochemistry research during the past three years while working in Portugal. Lifeng Liu will deliver an oral presentation at the XXI Meeting of the Portuguese Electrochemical Society held at Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, in September 2016.

15th IUVSTA Nano-Optics School at INL

The 15th IUVSTA Nano-Optics School took place at INL from April 11-15. About 65 participants attended lectures on topics like Nanoscopy; Super-resolution imaging/nano-imaging and microscopy techniques, near-field and far-field; Nano-plasmonics, nano-optical trapping., bio-plasmonic; Nano-(bio)photonics; Ultrafast and nonlinear optical process; Single-molecule techniques, optical spectroscopies; Solid-state lighting, human-centric lighting; and Applications in biophysics and medicine. The full program is available here The students had the opportunity to participate in comprehensive tours through the INL facility and attend on-site short presentations made by INL researchers. Following the 15th IUVSTA Nano-Optics School, INL hosts, from Abril 15-17, the 122nd IUVSTA Executive Council Meeting ECM-122.

The Urban Algae Folly project comes to its end

The Urban Algae Folly project has now come to its end. The Urban Algae Folly was installed in a collaborative project comprising the INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, the City of Braga, and the Foundation Francisco Manuel dos Santos. During the month of March, the live structure will be dismantled. Since November 17th 2015, the day of the inauguration, many people have visited the Praça da República, in the centre of Braga, to look at the Folly and to try to find out more about this live architecture. For over four months the Folly stirred the curiosity and attention of passers-by, locals and tourists alike. At first sight, each visitor was confronted with an alien object that later on motivated discussion and debate about science and sustainable development. To raise awareness about the project and increase its impact in education, the Center of Biological Engineering and the Center of Molecular and Environmental Biology from the University of Minho joined the project to support it with their invaluable expertise. The project ended with the Folly Week, a week of open classes that involved students from six different high schools in Braga and closed with a dedicated Science Café. The school […]

INL filed the largest number of requests from Portugal for patents in 2015

The INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory filed 8 requests for Patents in 2015 to the EPO – European Patent Office. That makes INL the organisation in Portugal that filed the largest number of requests in 2015. “We have submitted several patents for the development of novel sensors, comprising different technologies, involving microfluidics and magnetoresistive sensors. We have also submitted four patents in the area of energy-related to batteries and solar cells”, advised Lars Montelius, Director-general of INL. The patent requests filed are technology patents. “They will be of value for companies that we engage with to strengthen and increase their competitiveness. One of INL’s most important business strategies is to license patents to companies. Some technologies may be explored by INL supported start-ups”, explained the director-general of INL. In 2016 INL expects to continue its strategy to license Intellectual Property and plans to file between 5 and 10 new requests for patents. The INL is an international research organisation dedicated to applied research in Nanotechnology, founded by the governments of Portugal and Spain. INL provides science and innovation and is key to translate knowledge into social and economic benefits through the exploration, deployment and articulation of nanotechnology. INL has […]