Small, smaller, Nano

Nanotechnologies form the basis for the key technologies of the 21st century. As they do this, basic research findings have to be converted into applications and products. The Cluster of Excellence aims to contribute to developing such nanostructures with a specific function. The Cluster’s partners look forward to economic and social effects of the kind that were achieved in Silicon Valley, USA. The Rhine Valley is to become “Nano Valley”. The Cluster was founded as a DFG Research Centre in 2001 and has now been enhanced to a Cluster of Excellence. It previously concentrated on optical and electronic functions. However, much less research has been dedicated so far to exploring the use of biological principles for producing functional nanomaterials or structures. Now, the researchers have set their sights on the life sciences. They try to implement new analytical methods and to manipulate whole cells by infiltrating the cells with functional nanostructures. They also control the growth patterns of living cells through nanotechnologically structured surfaces, and they aim to build transporters for miniscule chemical reactions from biological cell compartments. The participating institutions are: * University of Karlsruhe (host institution) * Research Centre Karlsruhe