India’s Nanotech Centers

Nanotechnology Centers Development in India 

Mission:

Quantum Group is the lead promoter of construction of a state-of-the-art nanotech center in India. Bangalore and Pune are being considered to be the two sites for these centers. The Indian  Nanofabrication Facility (CNF) provides resources and technical expertise to researchers in microstructures science, particularly in the areas of advanced lithographies, electron beam lithography, nanostructure physics, focused ion beam technology, scanning tunneling microscopy for fabrication and analysis, optoelectronic and electronic applications, and microfabrication applications for biology. The facility would act as an interdisciplinary center available to qualified researchers from any Indian academic or National laboratory or industrial organization, and it would place no restriction on the type of science that is done at the facility-only that it involves small dimensions. Novel research applications of micro- and nanofabrication techniques are actively encouraged. The center, along with a similar facilities around the world, world serve as a full service hub for Asia and be part of the National Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN in the US. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, USA , the NNUN provides nanofabrication services to a wide range of users throughout the U.S. and the rest of the world.

Bangalore and Pune boasts of the India’s largest university enrollments . To assist in minimizing the brain-drain to the US, Quantum Group is spearheading an effort to set up nanotech centers in India. Pune and Bangalore both boasts more than 30 interdisciplinary centers, institutes, laboratories, and programs. These organizations create a rich research culture at Bangalore and Pune. This nanotech facility will bring researchers together from across the universities to pursue research, teaching, and outreach on broad scholarly and social topics. The work of these nanotech organizations will be aligned with national and global needs, and therefore it provides a direct benefit to individuals and groups or for the public good.

Nanofabrication, advanced materials, aging, high-performance computing and communications, medicine,  environment, food, electronics & space research,are only a few examples of topics covered by these interdisciplinary research nanotech centers.

These research centers, institutes, laboratories, and programs offer many benefits to the nation’s universities. They will provide a means for faculty and staff to share expensive, specialized research facilities and equipment. They will take advantage of national and state programs that are designed to promote university, government, and corporate partnerships. Also, interdisciplinary research will enhance graduate and undergraduate education, and they contribute significantly to the university's outreach activities.

Distinguishing features for centers, institutes, laboratories, and programs can be blurred at times. There is no clean, crisp definition of a center, institute, laboratory, or program. There are centers that include programs, programs that include institutes, and institutes that have centers. However, there are some guidelines to highlight.

Centers, usually, are organized under centralized university governance, and they report to a university vice president or the university dean. They usually span two or more colleges. Most centers are established by action of the Board of Trustees. Institutes may span two or more colleges, but often they are centered in a single college and governed from within that college. Laboratories generally are centered and governed within a college or a center. Most times, laboratories provide facilities and administration for large interdisciplinary research units within a college. Programs are organized around unified plans of study with a central focus. They bring faculty members together from various departments within a single college or across colleges. Programs usually report to a college or a center.

India should plan to have four national nanotechnology research centers located in East ,West ,North and South

These nanotech centers will have charters that define their missions to serve broad national and international scientific communities. They also reflect a partnership of academia, government, and industry.

Collaborators:

Various Departments of Chemistry; Materials Science and Engineering; Physics;; Schools of Applied and Engineering Physics; Chemical Engineering; Electrical Engineering; and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at various Indian Universities

Board:

Executive Committee

Review Process:

Executive Committee reviews; industrial affiliates meeting; National Science Foundation site reviews

Funding Sources:

Industrial Affiliates Program; National Science Foundation; user charges

Established:

Planned for 2011

Outreach:

The Indian Nano tech Center will hold annual meeting; presentations at local universities & institutes as well as Science Centers; provide research experience for graduates & doctoral program at India’s top universities as well as draw  visitors from numerous technical organizations

Publications: