It is in the meeting between people that new realizations arise, new networks are established and failed projects can be avoided. Really that is the essence.
Realizing that researchers, educators and technicians have much to learn from each other, five technical universities in the Nordic countries entered 13 years ago the collaboration called Nordic Five Tech. Based on this collaboration, 250 nanotechnologists and researchers have set each other up and exchanged their latest experiences and discoveries.
Nordic Nanofabrication Network (NNN) deals with complex techniques that develop rapidly and require continuous learning to find solutions to the challenges of the future. And that is the whole essence of the collaboration.
"It gives a great opportunity to understand the latest developments," says Jörg Hübner, director of DTU Nanolab, which hosts the 250 researchers and technicians. "It is a meeting between technical experts, where you look into the world and see potentials. It is a forum for networking and knowledge - and then it is also a unique opportunity to also exchange experience about what does not work. People are honest with each other here. There is a fantastic openness and people do not hide what they are struggling with. It is a complex world that is difficult to enter with the new technologies.
Therefore, collaboration and exchange of experience is very valuable, so you can avoid making the same mistakes others have already done – and which can mean wasting many years of work and millions of dollars.”
One step ahead of the researchers
The network meeting at DTU is well visited. Professionally, according to the participants, there is much to come by within the various techniques. The presentations are thorough and you can learn a lot in an hour. The plenum lectures go into depth with the latest research results and bring the audience up to date. This applies in areas such as: Imaging with Transmission Electron Microscop (TEM), 3D scuplturing, Nanolithography and an insight into Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT).
"Researchers from universities and industry must be able to realize their theory and models in our laboratories," explains Jörg Hübner. We need to provide technology that scientists do not yet know they need. We must relate to the future, and therefore we have also invited Heike Riel from IBM in Zurich to hold a speach on "Nanoelectronic Devices for Future Computing", in order to get a qualified idea of where the technological demands are moving.”
Nordic Nanofabrication Network User Meeting took place at DTU 7 - 8 May 2019 and is held every two years. The next time is in 2021, when it is held in Gothenburg.
