EU nanotech players look to Latin America
Nanotechnology is already proving to be the next big wave in industry, with stunning implications for medicine, technology, consumer goods and other sectors. As a large region of the world with untapped potential, Latin America boasts many experts and facilities that could work in synergy with EU nanotech endeavours. The EU-funded initiative 'Nanoforum EU Latin America' (Nanoforumeula) encouraged collaboration between research organisations in the EU and Latin America in the field of nanotechnology. The project organised visits from 21 countries in Latin America to four European nanotech research organisations. On the Latin American front, Nanoforumeula hosted a workshop in Brazil on the topic and investigated nanotech potential in the region's two most populous states, Brazil and Mexico. This opened the door for EU industry and research to collaborate with Latin America on many levels in the sector, furthering the economy and high-tech industry of both. In more detail, the project organised grant-related visits for Latin American researchers to European nanotech centres that lasted up to three months. It also organised a workshop and two fact-finding missions for Europeans in Latin America. Nanoforumeula produced two reports on these fact-finding missions focusing on Brazil and Mexico. The reports also highlighted important nanotech players in these two countries. A fact-finding mission has also been held in Argentina, and as with the other reports its results have been published on the project's website. Thanks to the efforts of the project, solid exchanges in this promising field have been established and are set to benefit both sides of the Atlantic. Ongoing efforts to continue these exchanges beyond the project's mandate are already in place, ensuring continuity and sustaining the momentum.
