NanoforumEULA fact finding mission, Mexico, 24-30 August 2007

Costs: No participants fee will be charged. Participants only pay their own travel and subsistence. This amounts to the flight from Europe to Cancun and back from Mexico City to Europe, plus subsistence (hotels, food), plus ~€358 for the roundtrip inside Mexico. CONACYT has offered subsidising the flights inside Mexico for 25 participants. Register quickly if you want to be considered for this.

NanoforumEULA organises a fact-finding mission for European researchers and industrialists to nanotechnology research centres in Mexico, 24-30 August 2007, just after the XVI International Materials Research Congress in Cancun, Mexico. Aim of the fact finding mission is to show European industrialists and researchers excellent Mexican nanoscience and nanotechnology research and enable them to get to know and discuss collaborations with possible business partners. This can e.g. lay the basis for project proposals under the EU 7^th Framework Programme for RTD (http://cordis.europa.eu/)

PROGRAMME VERSION 27 July 2007

Friday, August 24 (Saltillo)

7:30	Departure from Cancun to Monterrey (plane)
11:00	Arrival in Saltillo (State of Coahuila)
13:00-15:00	Meeting with ITESM, CIMAV, CIQA, UANL, CINVESTAV Presentation of the Strategic Lines for the 7^th Framework (15 min) Participants describing the best research activities on Nanotechnology (1h15min)
15:00-15:45	Lunch (Buffet)
15:45 – 17:45	Three thematic groups in order to get different outcomes
17:45 – 19:30	Visits to Laboratories or continuation of the thematic groups and discussions.

Saturday, August 25 (Coahuila)

10:00 – 14:00

Visit to la Ciudad del Conocimiento (Research and Technology Innovation Park in North East Mexico)

-	Visit of infrastructure

-	Meeting with industries and some local companies with nanotechnology research or products (e.g. Peñoles (mining company 1^st silver producer, Grupo Alfa (plastics and metals and composites), Vitro (glass and ceramics), etc.).

14:00 – 15:00

Lunch in la Ciudad del Conocimiento

16:00

Departure to Guanajuato (plane)

18:00

Arrival in Guanajuato

Sunday, August 26: Visit to Guanajuato

-	Sightseeing in Guanajuato (guided tour)

Lunch

-	Dinner (free time)

Monday, August 27 (Guanajuato)

9:00 – 17:00

Meeting in Guanajuato with Universities and Industries

- IPICYT, Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi, Universidad de Guanajuato, CIO (Center of Optics Research), CINVESTAV, and some local companies with nanotechnology research or products (e.g. Schumman (nanocomposites), Mabe (plastics and composites for electrodomestic appliances), CONDUMEX (cables, fiber optics, and cable coatings); 1 day

18h00

Departure to San Luis Potosí (by Bus or mini-vans)

Tuesday, August 28 (San Luis Potosí)

9:30-12:30	IPICYT / National Laboraroty for Nanocience and Nanotechnology (visit and Presentations from IPICYT, UASLP, ICO, CINVESTAV, Mabe, and local companies, etc.)
12:30 – 14:00	Lunch
14:00 – 17:00	Infrastructure Visits (UASLP, etc.)
18:00 o 20:00	Departure to Mexico City (by plane)

Wednesday, August 29 (México City)

9:00 – 14:00	Workshop: Academic and Industry presentations (round table) Participants: UNAM, UAM y INAOE (Puebla), CINVESTAV, etc. 1 presentation per Institution CEMEX and some local companies with nanotechnology research or products, etc…
14:00 – 15:30	Lunch
15:30 – 18:00	Visit to UNAM
19:00	Cocktail at CONACYT (with the General Director, etc.)

Thursday, August 30 (México City)

9:00 – 14:00

Presentation of Science Policy and Research Programs on nanotechnology at CONACYT

CONACYT

EE MM

-	VII PM - UEMEXCyT

IMPI

Participants: NCP (National Contact Points, etc)

14:00 – 15:30

Lunch

15:30 – 18:00

Mission Conclusions:

Representative of the EU/ NCP, Nano ForumEULA – Ineke, Mauricio

The following aspects will be covered:

-	Priorities in research and tours around labs,

-	National funding and strategy for nanotechnology,

-	Activities in industry, SMEs, foreign companies R&D in Mexico,

-	Innovation, IP, education and training and other relevant policies,

-	Relevant international agreements, especially between Mexico and the EU and European countries,

-	Relevant sectors where nanotech based products can be applied: water purification, (sustainable) energy and environmental technology, agro food, healthcare.

More information:

NanoforumEULA Technical Manager

Ineke Malsch

Malsch TechnoValuation

Vondellaan 90

NL-3521 GH Utrecht, The Netherlands

Phone: +31 30 2819820

Fax: +31 842 137482

e-mail: postbus@malsch.demon.nl

website: www.nanoforumeula.eu

About NANOFORUMEULA

This Specific Support Action Nanoforum EU Latin America is funded by the European Union under the Sixth EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development; Nanotechnologies and Nanosciences, Knowledge Based Multifunctional Materials and New Production Processes and Devices (FP6, NMP). See http://cordis.europa.eu/nanotechnology. The project aims to foster lasting research relations between European research organisations and research organisations in Latin America specialising in nanotechnology. We subsidise exchange visits for some twenty Latin American researchers to four European research organisations specialising in nanotechnology. We organise two workshops and subsequent fact finding missions in Mexico and Brazil enabling European researchers and industrialists to identify opportunities for establishing working relations.

Check our website for updates: www.nanoforumeula.eu

or contact Ineke Malsch: postbus@malsch.demon.nl