Development of new and improved processes is a positive way forward in tough market conditions. However, developing a research consortium to bid for funding can be a daunting prospect especially for first time participants.

Help is at hand, in the form of a research brokering service, launched by the Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the United Kingdom's primary knowledge-based networks for Micro and Nanotechnologies. The NanoKTN, which represents the nanotechnology community, has joined forces with the Materials KTN, in order to link up the two communities.



The KTNs will offer an ‘introduction service' to link up technology developers with integrators and end users, to facilitate industrially-relevant research consortia involving nano-enhanced materials for transport.



The first funding call to be targeted is the Technology Strategy Board ‘High Value Manufacturing' Call which opens on 19th January 2009 with expressions of interest required by 26th February 2009.



Dr Martin Kemp of NanoKTN explained ‘Nanotechnology encompasses enabling technologies which can revolutionise materials and processes, but integrating these into end applications requires a networking and communication process which we aim to facilitate. Several of the Call themes may be relevant, such as High Value Products, Resource Efficient and Sustainable Processes (improving productivity or reducing material, energy and resource consumption in production processes), and Condition Diagnosis.



Faraday Advance, under the direction of Dr Colin Johnstone, is the transport node of the Materials KTN which focuses on materials in the transport industry, and hence by collaborating with the NanoKTN, the two networks hope to develop nano-enhanced materials projects to benefit the transportation sector.



Established by the Technology Strategy Board, the NanoKTN is managed by Centre for Process Innovation Ltd, a leading technology development and consulting company.