Inno.CNT: Nanomaterials of the next generation

In a scientific alliance with more than 90 renowned partners from research and industry, the Inno.CNT initiative is systematically advancing the development of carbon nanotubes (CNT). The tiny carbon nanotubes have the potential to open up brand-new dimensions in materials technology and bring a unique quality to numerous products and applications.

The Innovation Alliance Carbon Nanotubes (Inno.CNT) is a tightly meshed research network in which 90 renowned partners from research and industry are involved. It is part of the German government's high-tech strategy and is sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in its "Materials Innovations for Industry and Society" program.

The starting point for the alliance was a resolution adopted by the Federal Government in 2006, formulating a high-tech strategy for Germany as a location for industrial production. The strategy defined 17 areas to focus on in the future, and encouraged industry and science to pool their strengths and resources.

One of the 17 areas identified under the high-tech strategy was materials research, which is specifically sponsored in the BMBF's WING program (Materials Innovations for Industry and Society). Another was nanotechnology. This gave rise to the Innovation Alliance CNT, which set out to tap the economic potential of carbon nanotubes.

In addition to basic technologies, the Innovation Alliance CNT focuses on practical applications in the fields of energy and the environment, mobility, lightweight construction and electronics. The major societal and economic challenges of today are found precisely in these areas, including climate change, energy efficiency and supply, mobility, and health and safety. Mastering these challenges requires the joint efforts of science and industry.

The close networking of all 27 projects enables the entire know-how of the partners to be utilized more effectively and generate valuable synergies. In particular, linking up the crossover technologies with the fields of application provides an optimum framework for combining, within the project cluster, basic research with specific application requirements and market needs, and for developing economically promising solutions.

The initiative has been designed to run for a period of currently six years. Work on some of the projects began in the second quarter of 2008.