NanoKTN and IoN Confirm Success of UK Nanotechnology Mission to America

The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK’s primary knowledge-based networks for Micro and Nanotechnologies, and the Institute of Nanotechnology (IoN), a professional membership organisation for the nanotechnology industry, are pleased to announce the success of the 2010 International NanoMicroClub (INMC) NanoMission to America. The mission, supported by Technology Strategy Board funding, was established to support UK nanotechnology SMEs in international business development.

The US is the largest market for biopharma, both in terms of the number of companies that the UK could partner with but also with regards to market size. In 2008 alone, the US has spent $2.3trillion on healthcare. To ensure the UK took advantage of the business potential in the US, the INMC organised a mission in September 2010, to BioPharm America™ and to visit various companies in Boston.

The UK mission team comprised BHR Group, Point-2-Point Genomics, Nanomerics, Conformetrix and EuropaRx. During the mission, they met with a number of organisations from Boston and the surrounding area, leading to five NDAs being signed. Despite business development being a long process, a number of potential opportunities for business and funding are already being explored, and the feedback from the mission delegates has been very positive.

NanoKTN to Look at Impact of Nanomaterials on Man and the Environment

14th September, 2011 – Begbroke Science Park, Yarnton, Oxford

The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK’s primary knowledge-based networks for Micro and Nanotechnologies, is pleased to announce an event to review the possible effects of nanomaterials on man and the environment. The one-day seminar will examine the complex issues surrounding recent advances in the measurement and characterisation of nanomaterials throughout the whole product cycle.

By hosting this event, the NanoKTN aims to bring experts in standards, occupational health, toxicity and ecotoxicity, together with equipment producers and providers of analytical facilities. Networking sessions will provide a forum where experts can discuss the advances and issues in this field, meet and explore business and research opportunities with others, and evaluate testing methods and manufacturing processes. There will also be an opportunity for delegates to see first-hand the capabilities of new technologies in the nanoscale world through a stimulating and exciting exhibition.

Cutting costs in IT Security is a bad policy

By Robert May, Managing Director of ramsac (www.ramsac.com)

Business IT security is a perennially favourite topic of discussion. From SMEs to multi-national corporations (and even in government circles), the security of IT systems is much discussed and yet there is a feeling that maybe it is not always given the consideration it deserves. At a recent conference, CompTIA CEO Todd Thibodeaux suggested that it would be sensible to allocate 10% of a company’s IT budget to providing security, and yet the evidence suggests that in reality this is often not the case. For example, a Gartner survey recently found that the industry average spend on IT security is only about five percent. Perhaps even more startling is a report by the Ponemon Institute, Cenzic and Barracuda Networks which found that 88% of companies surveyed indicate they spend more on coffee than they do on securing Web applications!

NanoKTN and IoN secure £100K for UK Nanotechnology SMEs at recent Japanese Mission

The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK’s primary knowledge-based networks for Micro and Nanotechnologies, and the Institute of Nanotechnology (IoN), a professional membership organisation for the nanotechnology industry, are pleased to announce that the International NanoMicroClub (INMC) NanoMission to Japan has so far secured new contracts and sales worth £100K for attending UK SMEs.

The mission, supported by the Technology Strategy Board funding, was established to help raise the profile of UK nanotechnology and give UK nanotechnology SMEs the opportunity to drive international business development. The UK mission team comprised BHR Group, Bio Nano Consulting Ltd, Promethean Particles, Mantis Deposition, Mode Diagnostics Ltd, Izon Scientific Ltd, Nanoco, Engrid Consulting, and Oxford Advanced Surfaces.

NanoKTN Helps UK Nanotechnology SME Grow To Industry Leader

The NanoKTN is pleased to announce that on-going support from its staff and events has helped a UK SME to secure business leads and forge relationships with key collaborative partners. As a result, scientific engineering company Plarion has grown to become a leading manufacturer in its field.

When UK-based Plasmon went into administration in 2008, a team of engineers with years of experience in the field established Plarion, which recently announced the development of its Discipher diagnostic solution. The low-cost, walkaway system is based on a DVD drive and DVD discs with microfluidic channels for rapid biochemical analysis. The on-board reagent storage and sample preparation, along with automated analysis software, offers significant time advantage through minimal user interaction, allowing a large number of tests to be done at the same time.

Plarion’s Systems Development Manager Jackie Cole has been directly involved with the NanoKTN since the company’s launch in 2009, attending events as an exhibitor, delegate and presenter. Actively engaging as a member of the NanoKTN has provided Plarion with vital intelligence about R&D facilities and services available in the UK, as well as providing opportunities to identify possible collaborative partners with specific expertise.