National Technical University of Athens – NTUA
National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) was founded in 1836 and is the oldest and most prestigious educational institution of Greece in the field of technology. Part of the NTUA School of Chemical Engineering (Department of Materials Science and Engineering) is the Research Unit of Advanced, Composite, Nano Materials & Nanotechnology (R-NanoLab), which was founded in 2007.
R-NanoLab has extensive experience in Designing, Production, and Characterization of Advanced-, Composite-, and Nano-Materials, specializing in the development of nanomaterials and (nano-) composites with tailored properties, and upscaling those processes using pilot lines. Furthermore, R-Nanolab is also involved in advanced materials characterisation including the development of tailored protocols for testing in nanoscale with nanoindentation.
Cross-validation of characterization data is performed to adapt the relevant protocols to materials specific test cases, while Machine Learning is also used to support materials characterization activities and i) establish structure-property relations, ii) support phase recognition, iii) perform failure prognosis, as well as iv) το provide implications for materials design and optimization. R-NanoLab has a strong presence in European Research Activities in Materials Science, through participation in numerous EU and national funded projects.
As part of the European Technological Community, R-NanoLab is an active member of several Clusters (e.g. EMCC, EMMC, EPPN, NSC) taking part in the establishment of new standard methodologies, provide a suitable background for regulation and nanosafety, and support EC policy development.
UniRomaTre
The Universitå degli Studi “Roma Tre” (Roma Tre University) has been established in 1991 and actually represents a central point of reference in the academic scenario at both local and national level hosting nearly 40000 students. The University has 12 Departments, 10 Libraries, and 10 Centres and totals of about 970 teachers (553 professors I and Il level, 353 research assistant professors, and 3 language experts). Since its foundation, Roma Tre has paid great importance to international cooperation, and it has been an active participant in the European Union exchange programs.
In particular, Roma Tre has taken part in the Erasmus program since 1993/1994. In the academic year 2002/2003, Roma Tre was awarded the Erasmus University Charter (EUC), thus obtaining the right to participate in the Erasmus Program. Roma Tre is involved, either as coordinator or partner, in about 78 International Research projects. The activity of RM3 team will be conducted by the Materials Science and Technology (STM) group, which is part of the Engineering department of University of Roma “Roma TRE”, www.stm.unirorna.it. The STM group has a consolidated experience in the field of advanced characterization of bulk materials and thin films, through the use of high-resolution microscopy, (TEM, SEM and AFM), Focused Ion Beam (FIB) microscopy, nanoindentation (four different heads available, including the novel high-speed heads), nano-scratch testing and micro-tribological. The group is composed by four permanent staff unities (one full tenured professor, two assistant professors and one tenured technician) and a team, financed mainly through research projects, composed of about 6 unities with the following profiles: two research fellows (post-doc), three doctoral students and one person with technical-administrative role.
SINTEF is one of the largest independent multidisciplinary research organizations in Europe having more than 2000 employees. SINTEF aims at creating value through knowledge generation, research, innovation, and development of technological solutions that are brought into practical use. As a non-commercial organization, the generated revenue through contract research is invested in new research activities, laboratories, and competence development. In addition to participating in many EU and national projects, SINTEF is also contributing to research project in other continents. Being one of the major players in Norwegian materials technology research, SINTEF develops solutions within a wide range of applications with special focus on the nationally prioritized areas: Energy, Climate and Environment, Health, Natural resources, Biotechnology and Key Enabling Technologies.
SINTEF operates state-of-the-art processing, manufacturing, characterization and testing laboratories coordinates and participates in numerous national and EU research and innovation, as well as e-infrastructure investment projects and is a central partner in establishing national infrastructures in Norway. Typical examples are: The Norwegian Centre for Transmission Electron Microscopy-NORTEM (https://nortem.no), the National Surface and Interface Analysis Laboratory-NICE (https://nicesurface.no), The Norwegian Micro- and Nano-Fabrication Facility-NORFAB (www.norfab.no), the Norwegian Laboratory for Minerals and Materials Characterization-MiMAC (www.ntnu.edu/mimac/home), and the Norwegian Advanced Manufacturing laboratories (https://manulab.org). Several research groups at SINTEF will participate in NanoMECommons with unique specializations in advanced characterization using SEM, (S)TEM and associated techniques HAADF, EDS, EBSD, GPA as well as in-situ tensile testing, and upon request pico-indentation, surface analysis with AFM, WLI, XPS, ToF-SIMS and numerical modelling (see advanced characterisation at SINTEF).
The nanoMECommons activities will be performed by the Nanotechnology Lab LTFN which is established in the Physics Department of AUTh.
The Nanotechnology Lab LTFN, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is an internationally acknowledged specialist in Organic Electronics (OPVs, OLEDs, OTFTs, biosensors, etc), Plasmonics, Nanomedicine & Nanobiotechnology, Thin Film Technology & Nanoengineering, Real-time/In-line Optical Technology and Nanometrology, real-time/in-line precision Metrology, Computational & Modelling at nano to microscale, Automation and Digital Manufacturing.
The LTFN established the Center of Organic & Printed Electronics – Hellas (COPE-H), for cutting-edge Research and Manufacturing of OE Devices for applications in Energy, Displays, Lighting, Electronics, Automotive, NanoBiomedicine, Smart Textiles and Wearables, IoT, Smart Food Packaging, Greenhouses, etc. The COPE-H facilities include a Lab space area of 2000 m2, with clean room facilities of 600 m2 and state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, 10 Pilot to Production Lines (R2R printing, OVPD, CVD, S2S) for the manufacturing of large area OE devices and products. Also, it has unique TestBed facilities, combined with strong activity in R&D Projects and dynamic collaborations with SMEs, industry and academia. LTFN is a Digital Innovation Hub, offering open access to interested entities (Academia, Research, SMEs, Industries), while serving as an One-Stop-Shop for SMEs for technology transfer, proof-of-concept and incubation.
LTFN coordinates many EU/National R&D Projects, founded the Hellenic Organic & Printed Electronics Association HOPE-A (www.hope-a.com), the Research & Innovation Netwrok Nano|Net (www.nano-net.gr), Post Graduate Program on Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies – NN, and organizes annually the internationally established NANOTEXNOLOGY multi-event (www.nanotexnology.com) which combines International Conferences, Summer Schools and Exhibitions on Nanotechnology, Organic Electronics and Nanomedicine.
Its personnel consist of 35 scientists and engineers with specialized know–how and long-time experience covering Physics, Chemistry, Chemical & Electrical Engineering, Biology, Medicine, etc. Finally, the Nanotechnology Lab LTFN is under the final discussions with the European Investment Bank and the Greek Government for an investment of 51.5 M€, to extend its facilities and ecosystem by creating a Research and Innovation Center on Nanotechnologies, Nanomedicine & Organic Electronics, the EKNOH.
LTFN/AUTh is the Leader of the WP4 and its role in the nanoMECommons include the fabrication of Organic Electronic nanomaterials and devices (such as Organic Photovoltaics, Organic Light Emitting Diodes, etc), and the development of multi-technique characterization protocols combining nanomechanical testing and optical spectroscopy for flexible printed OE devices.
The MUL is a technical public university established in 1840 with a focus on teaching and application-oriented research in a variety of disciplines incl. energy technology, safety engineering, materials, and natural sciences, business, and economics. Its interdisciplinary environment and close collaboration between departments and industry allow it to establish sustainability within the value-added cycle, from raw materials to the finished product, on to the disposal of the product and its recycling and reuse as secondary raw material. A total number of students ~3800 allows them to be integrated into the research from the early stages of their study. The MUL with its 950 researchers and lecturers (out of 1300 employees) is internationally recognized as an excellent research university focused on innovation and novelty in materials and products for challenging applications.
Department of Materials Science (DMS) of the MUL is a worldwide recognized scientific institution in the field of synthesis and characterization of advanced functional nanostructured materials with more than 25 years of experience in the field and 150+ researchers (including technicians and administration staff). At the DMS, 100+ projects were funded within the last 5 years including Christian Doppler Laboratories, EU FP7 projects, and national grants. Additionally, several Horizon 2020 projects including ERC starting, consolidator, and advanced grants are running at the DMS. DMS provides a high-level infrastructure for characterization of structurally complex nanostructured materials including facilities for material synthesis. The unique combination of advanced synthesis and characterization methods in one place allows for the development of nanostructured thin films with highly defined microstructure and properties, which are based on established fundamental processing-structure-property relations and thus suitable as reference samples for a variety of applications.
The CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) is Spain’s largest public research institution and ranks third among Europe’s largest research organization. The CSIC is attached to the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and plays a key role in scientific and technological policy in Spain and worldwide. As the third-largest research organization in Europe, CSIC carries out research in all fields of knowledge, throughout its 123 Institutes distributed in three Global Areas: Life, Society, and Materia.
Participation of CSIC in NanoMECommons runs through 2 research groups that belong to different Institutes: The Spectroscopy & Industrial Catalysis group, SpeICat (Instituto de Catálisis y Petroleoquímica, ICP-CSIC, https://www.icp.csic.es) and the Ceramics for Smart Systems group, CSS (Instituto de Cerámica y Vidrio, ICV-CSIC, https://www.icv.csic.es/).
IRES, founded in 2015, is devoted to providing decision-making tools and methodologies for environmental, safety, and risk assessment, materials characterization/digitization, and process optimization. We are a team of chemical engineers, physicists, materials, and data scientists with a mission to deliver world-class innovative solutions. Customized and tailored solutions on demand, often in tool form, successfully identify possible business risks and provide sustainable directions. For this, the whole lifecycle of products is considered, through a holistic evaluation of social, environmental, and economic aspects based on EU standards and regulations. In collaboration with external bodies and related initiatives, IRES is part of, build upon and push the frontiers at new technological events, arising innovative technologies and strategic research trends.
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, headquartered in Germany, is the world’s leading applied research organization. With its focus on developing key technologies that are vital for the future and enabling the commercial exploitation of this work by business and industry, Fraunhofer plays a central role in the innovation process. As a pioneer and catalyst for ground-breaking developments and scientific excellence, Fraunhofer helps shape society now and in the future. Founded in 1949, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft currently operates 75 institutes and research institutions throughout Germany. The majority of the organization’s 29,000 employees are qualified scientists and engineers, who work with an annual research budget of 2.8 billion euros. Of this sum, 2.4 billion euros are generated through contract research.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials – IWM (located in Freiburg; www.iwm.fraunhofer.de) is a leading research centre in the modelling and experimental and theoretical characterization of material properties. The objective of Fraunhofer IWM is to develop solutions that improve the safety, reliability, durability and functionality of materials, technical components and systems, thus making them more cost-effective and energy-efficient. The combination of experimental characterization, computational simulation and multiscale modelling is a primary focus of the institute. Lately, the Fraunhofer IWM took a leading role in the digitization of materials, i. e. making data and models available and interoperable for advanced analytics and sustainable long-term accessibility. Fraunhofer IWM seeks for a common agreement on community-based ontologies for materials modelling and characterization and is heavily engaged in the European Materials Modelling Council (EMMC) and the European Materials Characterization Council (EMCC).
Goldbeck Consulting Limited (GCL) is an SME based in Cambridge, United Kingdom, providing business and technical consulting services in the field of materials modelling, informatics and digitalisation to universities, science and engineering software companies, manufacturing industry and public bodies. Services include strategies for integration and increased impact of materials modelling and informatics in industry, materials modelling translation as well as coaching for industrial staff and commercialisation and business development for science and engineering software.
The ESRF is the world’s most intense X-ray source and a centre of excellence for fundamental and innovation-driven research in condensed and living matter science. Located in Grenoble, France, the ESRF owes its success to the international cooperation of 22 partner nations, of which 13 are Members and 9 are Associates
Cambridge Nanomaterials Technology Ltd (CNT) is an innovation management and nanotechnology consulting company based in Cambridge, UK. The CNT Ltd helps companies, academic and government institutions to develop world-class innovative solutions for nanomaterials related R&D and IPR strategy, partnership, products, technologies, funding and markets. CNT Ltd is specialised in carbon nanomaterials R&D consulting and collaborative R&D project management, including exploitation and dissemination management, consortium and supply chain building. CNT has done a number of patent landscaping and market research analysis studies regarding production and use of various nanomaterials helping to link inventors and technology developers with end-users and investors. CNT is a leading private Nano-Carbon Enhanced Materials (NCEM) consortium with members from leading industrial organisations and academic institutions. Based on a similar concept, CNT started a new private consortium Advanced Materials for Additive Manufacturing (AMAM) in November 2018. In March 2019 CNT has opened a sister company CNT Innovation based in Brussels, Belgium (http://www.cnt-innovation.com/)..
Ansys Inc. Materials Business Unit has a core business for design and development of software products related to materials information management, data, and tools (eco-design), restricted substances, critical materials assessment, materials selection, and substitution), several of which integrate with CAD/CAE/PLM. Granta contributes to networks and standardization bodies and supports a number of industry-standard commercial databases for materials such as metals, composites, polymers, and medical devices. Granta also produces and maintains several leading data products including Materials Universe (a database of over 4,000 commercially available engineering materials including technical, ecological, and cost attributes for each material and its associated processes) and the Product Risk database which incorporates one of the leading resources on restricted substances as well as critical and conflict minerals risks and data needed for streamlined life cycle analysis. Granta supports numerous collaborative projects by providing a centralized materials information management system for the project to enable the pooling and consolidation of project knowledge which would otherwise be dispersed amongst the partners, this approach enables standardization and capitalizes on the value in the project by avoiding duplication of effort and maximizing results visibility to partners and external stakeholders. Granta also has reached over 1000 educational institutes worldwide via its education software, GRANTA EduPack, which translates materials research into data, information, and teaching resources. The recent acquisition by ANSYS Inc. means that our materials and process data, software tools, and learning resources can reach an even greater audience for a higher impact of collaborative project outcomes.
Keysight Technologies (Keysight) is the world’s premier electronic measurement company with 13.500+ employees which generated revenues of $4.2B in the fiscal year 2020. Keysight delivers advanced design and validation solutions that help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Keysight’s dedication to speed and precision extends to software-driven insights and analytics that bring tomorrow’s technology products to market faster across the development lifecycle, in design simulation, prototype validation, automated software testing, manufacturing analysis, and network performance optimization and visibility in enterprise, service provider and cloud environments. Our customers span the worldwide communications and industrial ecosystems, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, semiconductor, and general electronics. Keysight offers a portfolio of different electronic measurement equipment, calibration devices, software packages, and data analytics, including high-speed oscilloscopes and performance network analysers (PNA) that are in many aspects leading the edge on performance, speed, and sensitivity in the broad frequency spectrum. Recently, Keysight extended the automotive and battery division by adding automotive battery test systems on top of power supplies and source measurement units SMUs. Keysight aims to lead software and hardware development in energy storage and battery quality test via combined hardware and software algorithms for battery quality control, products, and services to gigafactories. Hereby, Keysight is working on the development of impedance calibration and high-throughput measurements, as well as the battery self-discharge methodology that improves cell production efficiency significantly.
Thales Research & Technology’s mission is to provide short-term and long-term competitive advantage to the THALES Group by transferring leading edge knowledge by injecting innovation. THALES Research & Technology-France, located in Palaiseau near Paris, is the main multidisciplinary research unit of the THALES Group, one of the major world players in aerospace, space, defence, and security. Through its internal activities and scientific links with industries and universities, either in France or internationally, THALES is participating in the preparation of THALES industrial future in strategic R&D fields. In addition to R&D activities, TRT-Fr provides scientific and technical advice, expertise or services for the company.
Centro Ricerche FIAT (CRF) is an industrial organization having the mission to promote, develop and transfer innovation for providing competitiveness to FCA. With a full-time workforce of more than 850 highly trained professionals, CRF fulfills his task by focusing on the development of innovative products & materials, implementation of innovative processes development of new methodologies and training of human resources. To properly cover a very wide technological spectrum, CRF developed a global network with national and international institutes; private and public research organizations, universities and companies, through the promotion of common research activities, associations, conferences and seminars and researcher’s mobility. This network further strengthens the center’s global innovation strategies, the implementation of specific activities locally, creation of know-how and continuous monitoring to enhance competitiveness and further development in areas such as transportation vehicles and components, innovative materials and application technologies, as well as the work on innovative alternative propulsion systems and transmissions. CRF is organized in 4 technical divisions: Process Research, Vehicle and Body, Powertrain and Group Materials Labs.
Organic Electronic Technologies (ΟΕΤ) is a world leader in R2R manufacturing and technologies for flexible Organic Electronics (OEs) and holds more than 25 years’ experience in thin film technologies. OET develops and manufactures large-scale Organic Photovoltaics with exceptional R2R printing processes enabled by unique laser patterning processes and in-situ characterization methods. OET develops custom R2R printing systems and in-line optical metrology tools and methodologies in collaboration with LTFN-AUTh for the real-time monitoring of the nanolayer properties.
More specifically OET expertise includes:
- In-line & real time Metrology and Quality Control of OEs Processing & Manufacturing
- In-line Laser Patterning at low Temperature for Complex Free Form Designs
- In line Laser Processes P1, P2, P3 for Power Module Enhancement
- Automated Robotic Digital Cutting and Encapsulation systems for Mass OEs Production
- In-line R2R Inkjet printing systems design and development
- Automated Quality Control Platforms for implementing real-time decision-making processes in R2R industry (design and development)
- Automated printing 4-axis systems with monitoring control (design and development)
- Closed loop manufacturing with automated multi-axis coating station, camera monitoring and nondestructive metrology tools for real time quality control.
BASF is one of the major chemical companies. The materials produced by BASF are used in almost all industry segments. BASF is the biggest polymer material and chemicals provider to the automotive industry. Other relevant segments are electronic materials (e.g. for semiconductors, display, etc.) ´, aerospace, packaging, construction etc.. BASF is besides a leading cathode active material supplier to battery producers for electrified vehicles around the world.
CONIFY is a start-up company with strong metallurgical expertise for the optimization of AM-compatible powder performance to obtain the best possible material / process pairs for the final application. Conify’ s main activities involve the revitalization, upcycling and recycling of unfused/low-cost powders, towards high-quality AM-grade powders where production chain from 3d printing and post-processing wastes is linked to design and manufacturing. Driven by its metallurgical background and expertise Conify focuses also on the development of new alloy compositions for AM based on novel metal alloy design approaches for custom powder prototyping supported by printability testing. Through parametric studies for process optimization, Conify aims to achieve print-tested, validated powdered materials verified to deliver stress-relieved, geometry- and composition-correct, homogeneous deposited materials that will enable production of higher quality parts.
MESA Consult
The main activity offered by MESA is consultancy services in the fields of Research and Development (R&D), Chemistry, Surface Chemistry, Materials Science, and Nanocomposites and Nanoparticles. With a broad experience in innovative solutions, MESA addresses clients’ needs related to a variety of materials such as polymers, metals and metal alloys, ceramics, composites from nano to micro level in a wide range of sectors including aeronautic, automotive, building, microelectronic, biomedical and packaging. MESA proposes a scientific assistance to industrial partners to place their innovative products on the market by reducing technical and operational risks. MESA provides support for R&D projects management, grant advice, writing proposal and project implementation.