Nanotechnology and new materials in Eastern Partnership countries
Socioeconomic well-being is a critical factor in achieving regional stability and democracy. Established in May 2009, the EaP seeks to advance human rights and good-governance norms in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Partner countries are offered access to the EU single market in exchange for the adoption of trade-related EU legislation. With EU funds, the NANOMAT-EPC (Deployment of societally beneficial nano- and material technologies in European partnership countries) project aimed to support deployment of nanotechnology and materials technologies in the EaP countries. These technologies are strategically important fields of scientific research with vast industrial potential. Project partners set out to identify the most promising opportunities within these countries for knowledge and technology transfer, and to develop a network of public and private organisations to make it happen. Four pilot projects in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia and Ukraine focused on applications of nanotechnology and materials research in healthcare, clean energy and the environment. An online brochure was made available on the project website in which nanotechnologies and materials science organisations in the EaP countries are listed. Individual reports were delivered to participants of workshops organised in Belarus, Georgia and Ukraine. All workshops included brokerage events to foster the exchange of ideas and identification of potential collaborations. Pilot projects have fostered networking, collaborations and joint EU-EaP (EPC) submissions to the Horizon 2020 call for proposals. In the energy realm, partnerships have realised manufacture of high-conductivity zirconia anodes for solid oxide fuel cells, and hybrid carbon nanotube and graphene electrodes for supercapacitors. Other partnerships have led to the development of radiation sensors for environmental monitoring and magnetic nanocomposites for medical applications. Nanotechnology and materials technologies offer solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges, but their development requires a research infrastructure hard to come by in EaP countries. NANOMAT-EPC filled this gap, strengthening research potential in low- and middle-income countries and contributing to economic and political reforms in a region of 75 million people.
Keywords
Nanotechnology, new materials, Eastern Partnership, knowledge development, NANOMAT-EPC
