9th NRW Nano Conference

The Keynote Speakers of the
9^th NRW Nano Conference

The 9^th NRW Nano Conference – exciting future topics from NRW with international reach.

The 9^th NRW Nano Conference took place from 21 to 23 April 2021. Purely virtual due to the pandemic, but nevertheless with high participation, excellent content quality and impressive reach. Once again, North Rhine-Westphalia’s leading role in the fields of nanotechnology, advanced materials and high-tech was clearly demonstrated at the internationally renowned NRW Nano-Conference – just a mouse click away from the NRW nanotechnology location Münster.

Picture: North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister of Economics Affairs and Digitisation Prof. Andreas Pinkwart and Dr.-Ing. Harald Cremer joining the virtual conference. (Photo: Münster Economic Development Agency)

North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister of Economics Affairs and Digitisation Prof. Andreas Pinkwart emphasised the state’s importance as a high-tech location: “The ninth edition of the Nano Conference has once again shown: North Rhine-Westphalia is at the forefront in future fields such as nanotechnology. In quantum technology, too, our state has developed into a leading European location for scientific research and economic application. I would like to thank the approximately 500 international guests who participated virtually in more than 50 technical lectures and numerous other events. Young scientists in particular find a platform for their own research and valuable ideas for new forward-looking projects at the NRW Nano Conference.”

After 2016, the Münster Economic Development Corporation acted as co-host for the second time. Managing Director Enno Fuchs underlined the importance of the nanotechnology location for the further profiling of the high-innovation state of NRW in his welcoming address. Münster is one of the leading centres in Europe with a focus on nanobioanalytics, he said. “In Münster, nano is ‘mega’. The unique infrastructure that has grown and application-oriented research and development, in which the state has also contributed financially in recent years, create excellent conditions. The potential is particularly evident in the numerous activities in the research centres, the industrial cooperations and the successful spin-offs and start-ups in high-tech fields that presented their expertise and innovative products at this year’s conference.”

Already at the 8^th NRW Nano-Conference, Germany’s most important nanotechnology event was expanded to include the topic area of “Innovation in Materials and Applications” and strongly aligned with cutting-edge topics through open calls. The concept was consistently continued at the 9th NRW Nano-Conference, so that in addition to the “classic” key topics, the new specialist sessions “Quantum Technology: Computing / Simulation / Sensor Technology / Communication / Enabling Technologies” and “Batteries: Materials / Manufacturing / Recycling” with the battery research factory “Forschungsfertigung Batteriezelle” (FFB) being established in Münster, which took into account the expanded spectrum of the conference’s content. Examples of the many highlights of the conference include the contribution by Nobel Prize winner Sir Prof. Konstantin Novoselov on the topic of graphene or the contribution by Dr. Patrick Baumhof of CureVac AG on the current work on the Corona vaccine and its relation to nanomedicine.

The “Young Academics Award” was also awarded virtually. In addition to the quality of the content of the poster, the virtual presentation in the poster sessions was also important. The poster “On-Chip Quantum Communication with Single-Photon Detectors” by Fabian Beutel, Institute of Physics, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, which was awarded first place, was particularly convincing. Second place went to the poster “Leakage Current Suppression in Coaxial GaAs/InGaP Nanowire pn-Heterojunctions” by Lisa Liborius, Dept. Components for High Frequency Electronics (BHE), University of Duisburg-Essen, and third place went to the poster “Silica-coated calcium phosphate nanoparticles for gene silencing of NF-kB p65 siRNA and their impact on cells of the blood compartment” by Nataniel Białas, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen.

“At the 9^th NRW Nano-Conference, we have once again succeeded in covering the hot topics in the high-tech sector. Thus, this year’s conference once again contributes to NRW’s innovative strength and acts as an important driving force in many relevant future technologies beyond the state’s borders. I am particularly pleased that Professor Ina Schieferdecker from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research also highlighted important cross-sectional technologies such as quantum technologies, nanotechnologies, digital twins and new materials as central innovation drivers in the state in her plenary speech,” says Dr.-Ing. Harald Cremer, Cluster Manager NanoMicroMaterialsPhotonics.NRW (NMWP.NRW), summing up the conference.

Overall, a very positive conclusion can be drawn: The 9^th NRW Nano Conference, organised by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the NanoMicroMaterialsPhotonics.NRW state cluster together with the Münster Economic Development Agency, was an outstanding meeting of the high-tech scene in North Rhine-Westphalia, with a diverse programme, top-class speakers and an audience interested in innovative materials and applications.

(from left to right): Dr.-Ing. Harald Cremer (Cluster Manager NMWP.NRW), Markus Lewe (Lord Mayor of the City of Münster) Professor Andreas Pinkwart (NRW Minister of Economic Affairs) and Enno Fuchs (City of Münster Economic Development Agency) Photo: Münster Economic Development Agency

Find the complete programme of the 9th NRW Nano Conference here.

The Organisers of the 9^th NRW Nano Conference

The Sponsors 2021

The Exhibitors 2021

The Media partners 2021