EuroNanoForum Conference and Nanomiracles Exhibition Open Today In Budapest

In Spotlight from Monday: Nanotechnology Experts Visit Hungary

EuroNanoForum 2011, the largest nanotechnology conference and exhibition in Europe, prominently featured in the Hungarian EU Presidency programme, opens in Budapest today. One of the satellite events is the introduction of the exhibition material of the interactive mobile nanotechnology demonstration „Nanomiracles – on the Move”. Supervised by the Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MFA) the Nanomiracles exhibition opens today at the science centre „Palace of Miracles”. The road-show is expected to hit the road in autumn this year.

The largest nanotechnology conference and exhibition this year, the EuroNanoForum 2011 opened today at the Budapest Congress and World Trade Center. Organizers expect over 1000 registered nanotechnology experts from all over the world. In the three days conference attendants can listen to distinguished speakers and also present their own ideas. Among the invited speakers Michael Grätzel, professor of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, winner of the 2010 MillenniumTechnology Prize, Marc Van Sande, vice-president of Umicore and László P. Biró, scientist of the Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MFA) can also be found.

The EuroNanoForum is an opportunity to initiate stimulating discussions and exchange ideas on key policy, scientific, industrial and societal issues in nanotechnology. The third day will be dedicated to networking between stakeholders in European Technology Platforms. Strategic research priorities are to be discussed to initiate future cooperation in research and innovation between researchers and industrial actors, both in Europe and the USA.

One of the main targets of EuroNanoForum 2011 is to boost the application of the results of nanosciences and nanotechnology, thereby supporting the commercialization of products. Participants of ENF’11 are invited to join the opening ceremony of the Nanomiracles exhibition in the science centre „Palace of Miracles”. The construction of the exhibition was supervised by the Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MFA, http://www.mfa.kfki.hu) and will be shown to the public until 4th of September. After that it will tour the country in form of a mobile interactive exhibition „Nanomiracles – on the Move” operated by the „Palace of Miracles”.

The emergence of nanotechnology is of no surprise; nature has perfected nanostructures for hundreds of millions of years. The color of the scales of some butterflies and insects, or the water repellant property of the leaves of some plants are caused by nanoarchitectures. Nanoscience the last decades tries to unlock the secrets and mimic the solutions of evolution when forming water and dust repellant surfaces, artificial sensors, solar cells or even special medicines. Although „nano” itself became a buzzword by now, only few people are aware of its real meaning, its potentials or risks. This is an obstacle in the commercialization of nano-applications.

The Nanomiracles exhibition hopefully will attract not only the interest of the young generation but also of adults and entrepreneurs open for utilizing nanoscale solutions. The exhibition is informing the local population about benefits and potential risks of nanotechnology, underlining its effect on market and employment.

„The real potential and long term effects of nanotechnology are not yet fully established. The application of nanotechnology, however, is part of our daily life, we already use nanoparticles, nanocoatings, nanotechnology based sensors. The importance of reliable information for the users of nanotechnology can not be overestimated. The public has to be aware of advantages, but also of potential risks of these solutions, because knowledge is the key to commercialization”. – said István Bársony, director of MFA.

The road-show run by Palace of Miracles will tour the countryside from autumn,  The interactive experiments, and demonstrations should improve the understanding of nanotechnology and its applications. By using the exhibition as a special lecturing and demonstration site, another aim is to catch the attention of the young generation, and motivate them for studies in natural sciences and engineering. The regular physics classes can be complemented by an interactive nanotechnology class presented together by the teacher and the demonstrator.

The initiative was financially supported by the National Innovation Office and the Cooperation Workprogramme of EU FP7, as well as sponsored among others by nanotechnology users General Electric Hungary Ltd., and Graboplast Inc.