In addition to the opening of FEIs NanoPort (FEI perhaps being one of the few companies that could justify their association with the word nano) I popped across town for the opening of the new 60 million euro multi purpose ‘open innovation’ facility on the Philips Campus. Between Philips, FEI and ASM Lithography (both of which have had close associations with Philips, FEI being a reverse merger and ASML a spin out), the Eindhoven region is fast becoming one of Europes nanotech hotspots.
Just across the German border, Degussa laid the foundation for their 50 million euro Nanotronics Science to Business Centre covering the whole nanotechnology value chain from basic research through processing and refinement processes to functional solution systems with the aim of speeding up innovation and transfer of technologies into industry.