European nanotechnology innovation in Japan
The Laboratory for Integrated Micro-Mechatronic Systems (LIMMS) was established in 1995 by the Institut des sciences de l’ingénierie et des systèmes (INSIS) of the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and the Institute of Industrial Science (IIS) at the University of Tokyo. In 2004, LIMMS acquired the status of international research centre, making it eligible to receive EU funding. The EU-funded project EUJO-LIMMS (Europe-Japan opening of LIMMS) was launched to strengthen collaboration between Europe and Japan. It began in December 2011 by introducing four new European partners. The mission of LIMMS’ extension was to push the boundaries of micro- and nanotechnologies. Specifically, LIMMS was opened up to École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, Institut für Mikrosystemtechnik (IMTEK) at the University of Freiburg in Germany, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. Both CNRS and the University of Tokyo were already collaborating with the first three institutions. During the four-year project, guest researchers at LIMMS and its EUJO-LIMMS extension worked on innovative devices of extremely small size. Their research focused on applications in electronics, optics, and micro- and nanotechnology as well as molecular and cellular bioengineering. The joint research led to breakthrough 3D micro- and nanofabrication techniques. A set of four new methods was introduced that are based on thermal scanning probe and advanced stencil lithography, micrometre-size moulding and roll-to-roll technologies. These technologies allow the development of miniature devices without expensive equipment or highly trained operators. Researchers also developed miniaturised neural probes and methods for guided neural cell growth on substrates. These include methods for interconnecting probes to flexible cables and stiffening the resulting structures using biocompatible polymers. Moreover, they worked on arranging cells in predefined configurations in two and three dimensions. EUJO-LIMMS resulted in improved collaboration between the four new partners and increased their visibility in Japan. The involvement of additional European partners in LIMMS’ extension established a unique partnership between the EU and Japan in the field of micro- and nanotechnologies, with applications in drug development and bioengineering, among others.
Keywords
Nanotechnology, EUJO-LIMMS, bioengineering, nanofabrication, neural cell
