Global Challenges - Opportunities for Nanotechnology

As a key technology of this century, nanotechnology will play a leading role in the development of solutions for the global challenges. The upcoming threatening problems, which in turn pose rewarding research opportunities, will engross the current generation of young scientists. Their interdisciplinary education will allow them to tackle these challenges ahead.

The Swiss Nanoscience Institute in Basel, the ETH Zurich and the Center for NanoScience (CeNS) in Munich have started a joint effort to address this urgent issue by inviting 70 junior scientists to the island of San Servolo in the Laguna of Venice on April 15-18 for an intense workshop entitled Global challenges- opportunities for nanotechnology. The group will consist of advanced PhD students and postdoctoral researchers coming from all over the world.

The first goal of this meeting is to foster the awareness for the global challenges by an analysis of the current major problems by this group of junior scientists. Since every change will require internationally consorted efforts, the initiation of a network amongst these scientists, which will sculpture our scientific and technological future, seems to be essential. The formation of such a network of junior scientists will be another goal of this workshop. In a final round the junior researchers will identify key problems where nanotechnology can provide solutions. Our hope is that powerful networks composed of these junior scientists will form to tackle the most urgent projects in the near future.

Download workshop presentation (PDF, 0.5 MB)

50 PhD students and PostDocs from 28 countries working in the field of nano(bio)sciences. 

1. Identify global challenges
   From gofers perspective of the lab to eagles view of the world!
2. Identify where nanoscience can contribute to solutions
   Convergence with other technologies with the goal to develop sustainable low-key technologies.
3. Formation of a world-wide junior nanoscientist network
   Direct personal contact will make joint projects possible, which otherwise might be stuck in the mud-holes of bureaucracy.