Year 2008
Finland and Russia to cooperate further in nanotechnology
Recognising that cooperation in the field of nanotechnology will advance the state of science and technology and strengthen the economic relationship between the two countries, the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy and the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (Rusnano) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in Moscow.
The signing of the agreement took place on the 3 December, during the official visit of the Finnish delegation to the Rusnanotech 2008 International Forum, organised by the Tekes FinNano programme. The document was signed by Mikko Alkio, State Secretary of the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy, and Anatoly Chubais, Director General of Rusnano.
The cooperation between Finland and Russia aims at increasing constructive and practical discussions on how to ensure that nanoscience research translates into economic well-being in both countries.
The agreement covers collaboration in information exchange on national nanotechnology policies, support for ongoing commercialisation efforts in nanotechnology within both countries, certification, standardisation and the protection of intellectual property rights, as well as support for developing technology road-maps and arranging joint seminars and mutual visits.
- One of the aims of Finland’s national innovation strategy is to strengthen cooperation and to build partnerships with the world’s leading innovation centres. Russia is one of the leading countries in nanotechnology, said Mikko Alkio at the signing.
In Finland, nanotechnology is one of the priority areas of the national innovation policy, and the sector receives extensive public and private investment. The Finnish Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Programme FinNano comprises coordinated action at a national level to increase expertise in science and technology. Finnish public funding organisations, including Tekes, will be investing more than EUR 120 million in nanoscience and nanotechnology programmes between 2005 and 2010.
For more information, please contact:
Mikko Alkio, State Secretary, tel. +358 50 413 5502
Antti Valle, Innovation environments, Ministry of Employment and the Economy,
tel. +358 40 700 4741
Markku Lämsä, FinNano Programme Manager, Tekes, tel. +358 50 557 7793
About:
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Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (Rusnano)
The Russian Corporation of Nanotechnology was established to address the growing challenges arising from the rapid development of new, nanoscale technologies. The key policies and functions of the corporation are:
- assisting the development of state policies in the sphere of nanotechnology
- developing the innovation infrastructure for nanotechnologies
- organisational and financial support for R&D projects in the sphere of nanotechnologies, with funding available for commercialisation and production
- financial support for projects aimed at educating specialists in nanotechnologies
Rusnanotech 2008
Organised by the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (Rusnano), Rusnanotech 2008 will take place in Moscow, Russia, from December 3-5, 2008 at the Central Exhibition Complex, i.e. Expocenter. The aim is to discuss current trends in the development of the nano industry, identify the needs and gaps in existing mechanisms and initiate a dialogue between science, the public and decision-making bodies. The conference will cover topics relevant to nanoscale processes and phenomena, nanomaterials and functional nanosystems based on nanomaterials, metrology, standardisation and certification, social, economic and safety aspects of nanotechnology development and investments in the nano industry.
Tekes FinNano 2005-2010 programme
The total volume of the Tekes FinNano programme is approx. EUR 70 million, including EUR 25 million in research funding, and EUR 20 million in corporate financing from Tekes. The programme will continue for five years, from 2005 to 2009, and is being carried out in close collaboration with the Academy of Finland's FinNano research programme.
The objective of the programme is to strengthen Finnish nanotechnology research in selected priority areas and to accelerate the commercial development of nanotechnology in Finland. The programme emphasises the effective use of research results and promotes close collaboration between academia and industry.
The programme’s current portfolio includes over 60 research and industrial technology development projects. The research is being led by expert consortia through close cooperation with international research organisations and industry. In total, the programme involves over 100 companies.
