Helsinki , 10 January, 2006 — Finland is one of the leading European countries in nanotechnology research. FinNano is a new technology programme established by Tekes to accelerate and improve the competitiveness of nanotechnology research in Finland.

Nanotechnology might be about small things, but it is of big interest in Finland. With 200 researchers in 30 laboratories, and accounting for almost half of the publicly funded nanotechnology research in Finland, the Helsinki area forms one of the most significant nanotechnology centres in the Nordic countries. Outside Helsinki, the other main nanotechnology centres in Finland are located in Oulu, Tampere, Jyväskylä, Joensuu, and Turku.

The FinNano programme was established to increase cooperation in nanotechnology, to transform all this research into concrete commercial applications, and to help Finnish research groups become internationally attractive research and industrial partners.

Pekka Koponen, Managing Director of Spinverse Consulting, helped in the formation, and now helps the running of the FinNano programme. He says that the programme has projects with research and industrial partners in 17 different countries. The programme is funded at around 70 million euros, consisting of a mix of government and corporate financing. With FinNano, Finland is now among the top countries in Europe per capita in funding of nanotechnology.

Connected to Strong Industrial Sectors

The FinNano programme's main research areas are in nanostructured materials, new electronics, and in sensors. The projects in these areas are connected to various industrial sectors that are strong in Finland, such as pulp and paper, electronics, and medical diagnostics. Also, some interesting converged applications are being developed, such as printed electronics which combines the electronics and paper industries.

One popular application of nanotechnology is the fine control of the laying down of atoms on a surface, called Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). On the leading edge of materials science, ALD allows the creation of surfaces with precise properties leading to, for example, superior microchips and micro-mechanical sensors.

Advanced as it is, ALD, used in several FinNano projects for different purposes, may also lead to more mundane applications such as scratch-proof car paint, self-cleaning windows, or stain-resistant fabrics.

Finnano Brochure available in pdf form.

More information
http://www.tekes.fi/Finnano.pdf
www.tekes.fi/english/FinnanoProgram