Brussels, 15 Apr 2005
Being a relatively new scientific discipline, many academic institutions and public authorities are still in the process of assessing teaching and training needs in the nanosciences. So what is already in place, and what does the user community actually want from university graduates in terms of new knowledge? Participants at a workshop in Brussels on 14 April sought answers to these questions.
Addressing the training needs of nanoscience and nanotechnology is complicated by the fact that it is not a scientific discipline in its own right, but cuts across many other disciplines. A completely new approach is therefore required at universities. The traditional structure of universities, where, for example, a physics student is based in the physics faculty and rarely if ever has any contact with the biology students, has to change.
This is also the approach that industry would like to see, according to Tim Harper, CEO of Cientifica and Executive
Director of the European NanoBusiness Association. 'Employers don't really want graduates with a first degree in
nanoscience. They prefer a solid grounding in science with a conversion course - a Masters or a PhD - afterwards,' he said.
A less specialised approach is also favoured by the European Commission. While the traditional approach to education can
be depicted as an inverted pyramid, with the breadth of study getting narrower as the researcher progresses, head of the
Commission's unit on research training networks Bruno Schmitz outlined the need for an hourglass approach to nano training,
with the breadth of study widening again as the researcher gains in experience.
Although the number of science graduates is decreasing, and ironically at a time when, as Dr Harper highlighted,
technology is playing an increasingly important role in our lives, more and more courses are emerging in the areas of
nanoscience and nanotechnology.
Mark Morrison from the Institute of Nanotechnology in the UK informed participants that while most EU countries are
establishing specialised courses in these fields, the market is dominated by the UK, Germany, France and Denmark. An
increasing number of e-learning courses on nanoscience and nanotechnology are also being established, although obstacles
such as concerns about standards, a lack of financial support, and internal resistance from some universities is slowing
their growth.
It is not just a question of producing more graduates, but of producing better graduates, said Dr Harper. With this in
mind, the European NanoBusiness Association carried out a survey among companies using nanoscience or nanotechnology earlier
this year in order to assess their needs. Most claimed that it is difficult to recruit people with the right skills, and
many thought that this represents an urgent problem - 33 per cent of respondents indicated that they expect nanotechnology
to have an effect on their business within the next year.
Dr Harper also highlighted the gap between academia and industry as an additional factor impacting upon businesses.
'Europe has no shortage of academic institutions working on nanoscience, so why are we still less competitive? There is
still something missing. Most universities have technology transfer offices, but how many include basic entrepreneurial
skills. We need to repair the links between academia and industry,' he said.
It is difficult for academics to spot commercial opportunities if they are not familiar with business, Dr Harper said,
adding the warning: 'The problem is urgent and will only get worse if we don't start addressing it.'
The focus should not shift entirely to the applied end of the science, to nanotechnology rather than nanoscience
however. The hunt for commercial opportunities must not mean an end to basic research, said Dr Harper.
EU support for nanoscience and nanotechnology is set to continue. Under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6), 1.429
billion euro was available for Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, knowledge-based multifunctional materials and new
production processes and devices, and this figure is set to increase under FP7. 'Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials
and new production technologies' has already been outlined as a research priority in the Commission's proposals for the
programme.
Support will also continue for training in nanoscience and nanotechnology under the EU's Marie Curie programme. Since
1994 the Commission has already invested 61.9 million euro in this area and funded 1379 person years. These figures are
guaranteed to increase before the end of FP6 as schemes have so far only been funded under the first call for proposals.
For further information on the EU's nanoscience and nanotechnology initiatives, please visit:
http://www.cordis.lu/nanotechnology/
http://www.cordis.lu/nmp/home.html
Remarks: The brochure 'Nanotechnology: innovation for tomorrow's world', published by the European Commission, is now
available in seven languages, and will soon be made available in another 16 languages at the reference above.
CORDIS RTD-NEWS / © European Communities
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