 NMP-2007-1.2-5 Examining capacity building in nanobiotechnology
Technical content/scope: The field of nanobiotechnology is an extremely rapidly growing research area. Challenges are big, in particular since nanobiotechnology greatly benefits from an interdisciplinary ("converging") approach, including (i) various scientific and technical disciplines, (ii) entrepreneurship for transforming new knowledge into value-added technologies (often with the creation of new SMEs), and (iii) societal, ethical and regulatory considerations in order to correctly cope with European people's expectations and concerns. Ancillary aspects can also play a critical role to achieve or fail to achieve success at European level, such as nomenclature, specific metrology, harmonisation work for potential standards, (certified) reference materials, intellectual property rights as well as dedicated education and training, and the service to industry and particularly to high-tech SMEs. Therefore, the involvement of actors with expertise in many aspects is needed in order to develop nanobiotechnology successfully and timely, and this requires a Europe-wide effort. The support action should explore the definition, establishment and further development of a European scale infrastructure on nanobiotechnology, and the establishment of a realistic roadmap. It will also address the identification of top-class activities carried out in Europe, assessing their positioning with respect to the international scene.
Funding scheme: Coordination and support actions aiming at supporting research activities.
Specific features: Maximum duration: 12 months.
Expected impact: (i) Capacity building in Europe in nanobiotechnology; (ii) support for the development of new nanobiotechnology-based products and industrial processes, for their reliability, safety and future commercialisation on the global market; (iii) implementation of the European Commission’s Action Plan for Nanotechnology; (iv) elements relevant to establishing the creation of one (or more) leading pole(s) of excellence that will be able to support industrial activities, in particular benefiting high-tech SMEs.
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