Good practice:

Nanotech@NortePT - Nanotechnology from Norte of Portugal

Focusing on traditional business sectors based in the North Region of Portugal (such as textile, food, metalworking), the project raised awareness to the importance of incorporation of nanotechnology in their manufacturing processes or products thereby increasing competitiveness and adding value to their products in the global market.
Through the project, a dynamic nanotechnology knowledge transfer ecosystem was promoted, by implementing a set of activities (such as workshops, demonstration actions, etc) to increase technology exploitation into new products and services, highlighting products that integrate nanotechnology/nanomaterials and that have positively impacted and/or address solutions for societal challenges. A coordinated action to optimize the use of research resources sharing the existing knowledge in the North region of Portugal was provided, enabling the integration of Academia, Technology transfer centres (Portugal C.I.T centres), industrial clusters and enterprises into a single cohesive and comprehensive large technological ecosystem. Although solely targeting the clustering and exploitation of an ecosystem focused on nanotechnologies, the project does provide a generalist roadmap for technological ecosystem dynamization via the integration of separate players of a larger value chain into a large technology focused network. The network generates continuous synergies between technology providers and industrial technology integrators.

This practice involved a national funding investment of around half million and a team with less than 10 persons.

A considerable number of industrial projects and companies incorporating nanotechnology were identified during the practice period, and disseminated to civil society, companies, universities, associations and research institutes, apprising the innovation carried out in the industrial fabric of North of Portugal in collaboration with technological centres.

This practice is for sure potentially interesting to be applied in other regions. It is an excellent showcase of technology transfer between Academia, RTOs and industrial sector (ranging from industrial clusters, to industrial associations and industrial stakeholders), involving added value processes and/or products containing nanotechnology with potential applicability for society benefit.