MNT Future Vision= Issue 1

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These projects are funded by the=20 EC

Editorial:

We= lcome to the=20 first edition of MNT Future Vision! Twice a year, this newsle= tter=20 will report on the EU roadmapping on micro and nano technologies.=20

What are the provisions in terms of markets and product= =20 developments? Which micro and nano technologies will be predominant = in 5,=20 10, 20 years time? How can EU manufacturing companies improve = their=20 competitiveness in the MNT sector? What support do they need to take= the=20 lead in the global market?

MNT Future=20 Vision will = in the=20 first instance provide industrialists, stakeholders and research=20 communities with forecasts and information on networking platforms i= n=20 order to improve strategic planning in the micro and nano technologi= es=20 field.

In= formation is=20 provided by the =B5sapient= =20 and IPMMAN projects, selected by the European Commission to carry ou= t=20 roadmaps for the MNT manufacturing sector in Europe.

Dossier Thematique:

Results of the first s= tage=20 roadmapping now available

=B5sapient is a Coordination action project financed = by the=20 European Commission. Launched in March 2006, a first stage roadmappi= ng=20 consisted of a twelve-week study to gather market predictions= and=20 product developments forecasts and to understand the resea= rch=20 potentials in MNT. Direct interviews were carried out with 30=20 organisations through three data collection workshops. 35 participan= ts=20 from 9 countries, including 30 industries, shared their perception o= f the=20 future of MNT.

Click here to view the results

Industries network for= FP7 at=20 the first =B5-sapient=20 brokerage event

Following the results of t= he first=20 stage roadmapping, a brokerage event was held in Karlsruhe (Germany)= on=20 November 7-8, 2006. 42 industries and research centres partici= pated=20 in the event. A broad view of the roadmapping projects carried out a= cross=20 Europe was presented. Industrialists had the opportunity to introduc= e=20 their company and express their technical needs for future developme= nts=20 through presentations. The event was an excellent opportunity to for= mulate=20 new project ideas and networks for the Framework Programme 7.

If you=20 would like to register your interest for future brokerage events, pl= ease=20 send email to Ruth Strickland:

=

Full list of participan= ts=20 available on the MicroSapient web site

=A7     =    =20 Main conc= lusions on=20 the future of MNT

The Ipmman project=20 (Improvement of industrial Production Integrating=20 Macro, Micro And Nanotechnologies) is al= so=20 involved in the roadmapping process requested by the European Commis= sion.=20 From March to June 2006, IPMMAN partners carried out a consultation = of=20 experts and stakeholders in order to get their perspective on the fu= ture=20 of MNT. 25 members from industry and the research environment were=20 interviewed.

=20 Click here for the main conclusions.

The IPMMAN Consortium, through consu= ltation=20 with associated experts as well as stakeholders, provided a List = of=20 Technologies for Micro- and Nanomanufacturing. This= =20 covers all individual micro- and nano- processes as well as higher l= evel=20 integration production issues. The list was structured accordi= ng to=20 the following areas:

-     =     =20 Production and functionalization of nanophased particles and = their=20 composite incorporation (manufacturing of nanomaterials)

-     =     =20 Creation and surface modification of micro- and=20 nanosurfaces

-     =     =20 Micro- and Nanostructuring and processing technologies for=20 micro/nano components

-     =     =20 Assembly and integration of multi-functional micro-nano=20 devices

-     =     =20 Reconfigurable scalable and intelligent micro- and=20 nanomanufacturing platforms and systems

in order to facilitate the integrati= on of=20 the resulting list, with the structure of the Micro- and=20 Nanomanufacturing roadmap.

Click here to see the list.

For further information on the Ipmman project and detail= s about=20 the methodology employed, visit http://www.ipmman.eu/

Coming soon, a Europea= n=20 Sub-Technology Platform for Micro- and NanoManufacturing (su= b-ETP=20 MNM)

A new Micro- and NanoManufacturing c= ommunity=20 is emerging at European level. This community is a collaboration of= =20 manufacturers of micro- and/or nano-inside-products, equipment suppl= iers,=20 research organisations and networks including more than 250 me= mbers=20 from industry and academia. At its preparation meeting in September = the=20 community has endorsed the plans for launching a new sub-European=20 Technology Platform for Micro and Nano Manufacturing under the exist= ing=20 platform Manufuture. The launch of the sub-ETP MNM is planned for th= e=20 Spring of 2007. The platform will produce a Vision and Detailed Rese= arch=20 Agenda (DRA) for the development of Micro- and Nano-Manufacturing un= til=20 2020.

The key objective of the platform is= to help=20 companies recognise future potentials and markets offered by innovat= ive=20 micro- and nano-technologies. The platform should also further stren= gthen=20 the links between European, national and regional funding=20 programmes. First results have already been produced by conducting o= f=20 several roadmapping exercises by the =B5SAPIENT CA, IPMMAN CA, 4M NoE and=20 Nano-Manufacturing WG.

For further information= on the=20 forthcoming sub-ETP in Micro- and Nano- Manufacturing please=20 visit:

= http://www.micronanomanufacturing.eu/

or contact the sub-ETP secret= ariat, Mr.=20 Wolfgang Schaefer

=

Roadmapping study in the field of multi-material micr= o=20 manufacture

The 4M=20 Network of Excellence (http://www.4m-net.or= g/) is=20 pleased to announce that it has completed a roadmapping study in the= field=20 of multi-material micro manufacture. Its purpose was to identify gen= eric=20 "top level" trends in applications' requirements and the manufacturi= ng=20 capabilities that underpin them. Primary application areas addressed= were=20 micro-fluidics, micro-sensors & actuators, and micro-optics, whi= le the=20 technologies covered were surface modification and structuring proce= sses,=20 energy assisted and mechanical processes, and replication processes.= The=20 results of the study were presented in a paper at the 4M2006 Confere= nce=20 (http://www.4m-net.org/conference/) in Grenoble f= rom=20 September 20th-22nd 2006.

For further information, plea= se contact=20 Chris Matthews.

= =

Website: http://www.4m-net.org/

Project news

Successful Masmicro First Demonstration=20 Day

Masmicro is an Integrated Project de= veloping=20 a new facility for mass-production of micro/ miniature components.=20 Half-way into the research project, the consortium held its first=20 Demonstration Day in Stuttgart on October 4^th. 130 delega= tes=20 attended the event and industrialists had the opportunity to underst= and=20 and discuss the results obtained after two years of research. For mo= re=20 information about Masmicro and to get in touch with the partners, vi= sit:=20 http://www.masmicro.net/

Launch of Production 4=B5 project, Empower= ing Europe=20 for the =B5-century

Production 4=B5 is a new pan-European cons= ortium=20 combining the efforts of 20 key companies and leading research=20 institutions with expertise in the production, development and end u= se of=20 =B5-products. The project is divided into three clusters: the first = one=20 concentrates on process technologies for glass moulding, the second = one on=20 automation and measurement solutions, and the third one on productio= n=20 planning, launch and quality management. For details about the proje= ct,=20 visit: http://www.production4micro.net/

Calendar of events

Date

Event

November 21-22,=20 2006

Nanofair, , Congress Center, Karlsruhe,=20 Germany.=20

Info: http://www.nanofair.com/

November 2= 7-28,=20 2006

NEXUS/PATENT= -DfMM=20 MWG Workshop on Reliability and Test,=20 Milan,=20 Italy.=20

Info: http://www.nexus-mems.com/index.asp=20

March 14-16,=20 2007

Vienna= no=20 Conference, Micro- and Nanomanufacturing Workshop, Vienna, Austria.

Info. http://www.oetg.at/nano07

June 7-9,=20 2007

HARMST/007, 7^th Internati= onal=20 workshop on High-Aspect-Ratio Micro-structure=20 Technology, ,=20 Besan=E7on, France.

Deadline for submission of abstracts= :=20 January 1, 2007.

Info: http://harmst-007.femto-st.fr/

June 19-21 2007

Euronanoforum 2007, D=FCsseldorf, Germany.

Info: http://www.euronanoforum2007.de/

October 15-17,= =20 2007

CAS Internat= ional=20 Semiconductor Conference- IEEE event, Sinaia, Romania= =20

Info: http://www.imt.ro/