April 2005

Extensive Dutch nano cooperation launched

NanoNed has just been officially launched with the approval of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. NanoNed is a national research program that unites Dutch strengths in the nanosciences and nanotechnology in a single national network. Prof. David Reinhoudt from Twente University /MESA+ is the secretary of NanoNed, and Technology Foundation STW provides the secretariat for this extensive research program.

NanoNed is an initiative by eight centres of excellence and Philips, and covers investments in experimental facilities, scientific research and knowledge dissemination. With this the consortium partners aim to further enhance Dutch expertise within the nanosciences and nanotechnology. Moreover they are jointly seeking to increase the future potential of nanotechnology in the Netherlands as a source of economic growth in a highly productive and sustainable knowledge economy.

The Dutch government has granted the consortium 95 million euros in the form of a Bsik subsidy (Decree on subsidies for investments in the knowledge infrastructure). Together with the funds inherited from its predecessor NanoImpuls and the contributions of the consortium partners this gives the program a total budget of more than 235 million euros. NanoNed will run until the end of 2009.

Consortium partners

MESA+, University of Twente (secretary)


Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology


CNM, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven


BioMade/MSC+, University of Groningen


IMM, Radboud University Nijmegen


BioNT, Wageningen University and Research Centre


Photonics Group, Universiteit van Amsterdam


TNO Science and Industry


Philips Electronics Nederland


NanoNed is organised in eleven flagship programs. Several partners are working in each program under the leadership of an independent scientist. The partnership covers about 200 research projects, which over the next 5 years will represent more than 1200 man-years of research. In addition to this a significant proportion of the budget is earmarked for NanoLab NL, a shared research facility with highly-specialised equipment, which all partners and nanotechnology researchers in the Netherlands will be able to use. Finally part of the budget has been reserved for the Technology Assessment program. In this, social scientists will study the future development of nanotechnology and society, the possible impact of nanotechnology on society and how nanotechnologists can take this into account.