Tap into academic expertise in micro- & nanotechnology

The region's micro- and nanotechnologies (MNT) programme of activity has been designed to draw upon the expertise present in the region’s universities. Funded activity will help businesses harness the commercial opportunities offered by innovation in micro and nanotechnologies; with Higher Education Institutions involved in the Nanofactory working in a collaborative network towards removing barriers to commercialisation.

The Nanofactory offers businesses access to the substantial experience and facilities of all the Yorkshire and Humber universities involved in MNT technologies. Nanofactory partners are: Bradford, Huddersfield, Leeds, Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam and York.

Phase one of the MNT programme saw over £5m being invested in teams at the universities of Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield and York. As a result, new core facilities have been built—notably, world-leading characterisation capabilities (at York), polymer and micro/nano-moulding (at Bradford); nano-particulate products (at Leeds Institute of Nanomanufacturing). Phase two of the Nanofactory project is supported financially by the European Union, attracting over £2.5m of ERDF in funding support for regional economic development with matched funding of over £2m from University sources.

Areas of world-class MNT expertise in the region include:

• The Centre for Polymer Micro and Nano Technology (Bradford)

Volume production of micro-devices and micro/nano surface features on components in a range of materials including thermoplastics, nano-filled composite materials, metals and ceramics.

• The Centre for Precision Technology (Huddersfield)

Precision co-ordinate metrology, nano-scale surface metrology, and ultra-precision manufacturing (eg surfaces for medical implants and quantitative characterisation of MEMS and silicon-wafer devices)

• The NanoFactory and Nanomanufacturing Institute (Leeds)

Nanoparticles, fibres and composites (eg production of nanoparticles and application into composites such as shin-pads and composite automotive parts)

• The Kroto Research Institute (Sheffield)
  

Multi-disciplinary nanotechnology research base, combining electronic nanotechnology (III/IV), nanocharacterisation and nanomanipulation, soft nanotechnology, and tissue engineering.

• MARS - Material Analysis Research Services (Sheffield Hallam) 

MARS utilises experienced academic staff, advanced equipment and in-depth industy expertise from the Materials & Engineering Institute (MERI) to offer a range of commercial services including advanced analytical testing of materials, failure analysis and new product development

• The York JEOL Nanocentre (York)
  

Nanolithography, electron microscopy and magnetics (eg sub-atomic resolution TEM and dual-column focused ion-beam miller (FIB) capability

• The Polymer IRC and Sheffield Polymer Centre (Leeds, Bradford, Durham & Sheffield)
  

Soft nanotechnology, smart materials and biomimetic materials (eg drug delivery and substrates for tissue engineering, plastic electronic materials [LEDs] and devices [transistors]).

The Nanofactory website

The Nanofactory website is a portal for signposting and showcasing the world-leading micro- and nanotechnology expertise, skills and facilities in 6 of the region’s universities.

Based at the University of Leeds, Nanofactory is a joint activity between 6 universities (Leeds, Sheffield, York, Bradford, Sheffield Hallam and Huddersfield). It’s a single point of access to the innovation, facilities, research and training capabilities, it can be used to access equipment, technology services (such as consultancy, analysis, predictive modelling and manufacturing support) and R&D services. There is also a directory of short courses and full-time and part-time courses in Yorkshire & Humber, up to master’s level.
 

Contact

For enquiries about hte Nanofactory project, please contact:

Sue Sladen

Nanofactory Programme Manager

info@nanofactory.org.uk

Tel: 0113343 2402

If the contact you're looking for isn’t listed here, please visit our main contact page.