The European project Light-Rolls, coordinated by PRODINTEC Foundation, has been shortlisted for the "Best Research Project Award"
EuroNanoForum is Europe´s largest Nanotechnology and Materials Conference. It takes place every two years and receives funding from the EU´s Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. ENF2013 (Dublin, 18-20 June 2013) will focus on the commercialisation of nanotechnologies, exploiting its potential for new applications and taking them further from enabling technologies to end products.
Eleven EU-funded projects have been shortlisted for the "Best Research Project Award", whose aim is to highlight the innovative outcomes of EU research projects and to present how nanotechnologies enable progress in every aspect of daily life: from health to environment, energy, transport, food and communication.
The competition was open to all completed EU-funded projects in the field of nanotechnologies. The shortlisted projects were selected by representatives of the ENF 2013 International Advisory Group evaluating:
- Scientific and technological breakthroughs achieved by the project,
- How the project is addressing societal challenges (e.g. environment, health, food safety, climate change),
- Applicability of project results.
One of these projects is Light-Rolls, a novel manufacturing technology pilot line, integrating highly innovative production modules, based on a roll-to-roll manufacturing concept (process of creating electronic devices on a roll of flexible plastic or metal foil) for the seamless, high throughput manufacture of micro-structured systems.
The potential impact of such a project is very large and is related to domains as diverse as technology, markets (consumer, bio, health...) and societal issues. More generally, Light-Rolls is believed to enable Europe to be a step ahead of leading competitors in the field of micro-manufacturing and its various applications. This will definitely be an important step to increase European competitiveness in KETs such as Advanced Manufacturing, Photonics, Information and Communication Technologies and Nanotechnology to achieve world class performance in research and innovation.
