Since nanoGUNE was set up in 2009, it has established itself as a leading center in nanoscience and nanotechnology research. The activity it is involved in is of a multidisciplinary nature and close to subjects in the realm of industrial application. The development that nanoGUNE has undergone up until 2015 has allowed it to provide itself with the human resources and infrastructure it needs to occupy a leading position in the research being carried out in nanoscience on a global level. In this period, advantage has also been taken of the various opportunities that have emerged to drive forward the development of new technology and the creation of new nanotechnology-based companies, such as Graphenea, Simune, Ctech-nano and Evolgene. So the bases are now in place to enable nanoGUNE to concentrate its efforts on activities geared towards encouraging competitive growth based on nanotechnology, while maintaining at all times the level of excellence in the research projects it carries out.

In this new phase it will be particularly important to have the advice and involvement of business players so that companies can benefit as much as possible from the recent developments offered by nanoscience and nanotechnology, and so that the nanoGUNE research team can benefit from their market perspective.

Transferring knowledge and technology

The incorporation of the companies CAF, Petronor, and IKOR as nanoGUNE’s partners is addressing the research center’s commitment to have top-level industrial experts to reinforce its strategy for transferring knowledge and technology. The commitment of these three leading companies in priority areas in the Smart Specialization Strategy (RIS3) of the Basque Government will no doubt bolster the center’s strategic mission and allow it to reinforce the work it has been doing with and for industry.

The potential of nanoscience and nanotechnology has been recognized across the world, “but the gap between research and the market remains huge,” explained José María Pitarke, nanoGUNE’s Director. ”However, things have started to change over the last few years. They continue to be emerging fields, but the interest is increasing steadily, and some commercially viable processes and products are already available in nearly all the industrial sectors". The European Commission has estimated that the global market for nanotechnology-based products has increased by 50% a year since 2009, and exceeds a trillion euros. “But beyond the market dimension, what is really important for the Basque Country is that nanotechnology should play a pivotal role in improving many industrial sectors that form the basis of our economy," concluded Pitarke. “We have not in fact remained immune from the global development of nanotechnology, since the Basque Country is already seeing the flourishing of the first fruits of the significant investment effort made in this field."

CIC nanoGUNE

The nanoGUNE Co-operative Research Center (CIC), located in Donostia-San Sebastian, Basque Country, is a research center set up with the mission to conduct excellent research in nanoscience and nanotechnology with the aim of increasing the Basque Country’s business competitiveness and economic growth.

CAF

A Basque company founded in 1917 that is seeking global leadership in the manufacture and supply of railway rolling stock equipped with cutting-edge technology with maximum reliability. Website: www.caf.es

Petronor

Basque company founded in 1968 with the aim of refining and marketing petroleum products and by-products. Today, it is pursuing an aim of ongoing improvement enabling it to compete on the international market and to plough back the fruits of its success into the environment that supports it. Website: www.petronor.com

IKOR

A Basque company that offers comprehensive design, development, and electronic manufacturing (EMS) services worldwide geared towards all the sectors in which electronics is the core in the functioning of the end product. Website: www.ikor.es

CIC nanoGUNE has launched the updated version of it’s website (www.nanogune.eu). The site has been thought to fulfill the center’s mission, and to bring the social benefits of the “nano” closer to the Basque companies.

The new website has an English version and, for the first time, it is also possible to navigate in Basque and Spanish. The biggest part of the content can be accessed in the three languages in order to answer to the necessities of our very diverse public.

With that diversity of publics in mind we designed the different sections of the website:

• The “nanoGUNE” section includes corporative information, information about facilities and equipment, contacts, job offers, a newsroom and useful information about the day to day life with us.
• The “Research” area is specially designed for researchers worldwide, this is the reason why most of the information is only accessible in English. The user will be able to explore nanoGUNE's main research lines, as well as information about research groups and projects.
• The “TechTransfer” space is focused on the activity and services more related with industry, being a space specially designed for companies.
• The “Training” area has information related with university and high school students and teachers. Offers for PhD thesis, master degree projects or bachelor's final projects can be found here, as well as calls for scholarships. This section also informs about activities for high school students and teachers, and includes links to different educational material.
• In “Society” is intended to report on activities open to all citizens and to spread clear and reliable information on nanoscience and nanotechnology In this section, for example, citizens have the opportunity to send their doubts and questions about “nano”.

Together with the website, we have also prepared a newsletter, the best way to keep informed about all the activity of the center. Everyone is welcome to subscribe to this service.

“Emakumeak Zientzian” is an initiative promoted in 2020 jointly by CIC nanoGUNE, CFM, DIPC, CIC biomaGUNE, Biodonostia, POLYMAT, CEIT, TECNUN and Elhuyar, which is developed around the “International Day of Women and Girls in Science” with a complete program of activities.

The objective is to make visible the activity of women in science, to break with the typically male roles attributed to scientific-technical activities, and to promote the choice of scientific careers among girls and adolescents.

During four days, students between 12 and 18 years old will exhibit the scientific projects carried out during the course. There will also be a science ginkana, viscous experiments, the the theater play Matriuska and a science show called Adrenalina, among other events. On Sunday, the closing day of the fair, the projects developed in the Bizilabe leisure workshops will be exhibited.