The Investments Desk of the Italian Trade Commission of New York is sponsoring the NanoBusiness Alliance Conference taking place May 4-6, 2008 in New York City (at the Marriott Marquise) to raise awareness about the Italian Nanotechnology industry, which has been rapidly developing and gaining momentum, and to draw the attention of US companies, investors and industry analysts to investment and collaboration opportunities available in this increasingly dynamic segment of Italy’s economy.

The NanoBusiness Alliance Conference, in its seventh edition, will feature presentations by business leaders from several sectors where nanotechnologies are playing an increasingly important role, i.e. advanced materials, next-generation electronics, medical diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, clean energy and water filtration. Scientists, investors, venture capitalists and business executives will be in attendance and the topics discussed will span several issues pertaining to nanotechnology and investing, commercialization, health and safety and global opportunities.

This year’s keynote addresses will include presentations by, among others, US Senator John Kerry and Norbert Riedel CSO of Baxter International, while members of the OECD will host a special panel providing an overview of the current work on nanotechnology at the OECD and how it will impact the global development of this emerging technology.

The Trade Commission’s participation will include an exhibit space at the conference, featuring informational material from Nanotec IT, a branch of the Italian Association for Industrial Research (AIRI) serving as a focal point for Italian nanotechnology, as well as from organizations such as Veneto Nanotech, and from member firms of Nanotec IT that are carrying out significant nanoscale research activities. The Trade Commission representatives present at the conference will share prospects for collaborations, as well as insights on how to engage and invest in the Italian nanotech world.

After a slower start with respect to other industrialized countries, nanotechnology in Italy has been rapidly picking up the pace over the last few years, witnessing intense R&D activities spanning wide-ranging applications: from structural and functional materials and instrumentation, to energy, life sciences and biomedical applications. Nanotechnology is, in fact, currently high on the agenda of Italian R&D, which already involves over 4,500 workers, several universities, public research organizations and institutes, while the interest among the private sector has been growing as well, as both large and small companies have been increasingly involved and start-ups have been forming at a remarkable rate.

To wit, nanotechnology was among the priorities of the 2005-2007 National Program for Research and in 2007 public national funds for nanotechnology amounted to an estimated $105 million. Although government funded institutions and research centers still account for most of Italian nanotech activities, the growing contribution of the private sector is clearly recognizable, as the number of private companies involved in nanotech has now grown to over 70, marking a 250% increase over the number surveyed in 2004. Moreover, to facilitate the commercialization of research, over 60% of Italian universities have created technology transfer offices.

The significant growth of nanotechnologies is also attributable to the strong and rising demand for its applications throughout the Italian industrial sectors, from the country’s traditional medium-tech sectors of textiles, food, fashion, machinery, design, to its high-tech sectors such as aerospace, automotive components, microelectronic, wireless, life science and precision instruments. For more information on this event please visit: www.nanobusiness2008.com

The next appointment with ITALIAN NANOTECHNOLOGIES is in BOSTON

Visit the Italian Pavillion (Booth nr. 903) at NSTI Nanotech 2008 – Boston, 1-5 June 2008. The Italian Trade Commission will have its own pavillion at this year’s NSTI show in Boston, hosting several prominent Italian companies and research institutes, among which: Selex Sistemi Integrati, Ceipiemonte, Alenia Aeronautica, Tethis, Airi/Nanotec.It, Centro Ricerche Fiat, The European Centre for Nanostructured Polymers and Nanocomposites, Nano_Mates Center at Salerno University, Colorobbia Italia, Veneto Nanotech, Politecnico University of Turin, the Department of materials and environmental engineering at the Univeristy of Modena and Reggio Emilia, I.N.S.T.M. - Italian Interuniversity Consortium on Materials Science and Technology, Scriba Nanotecnologie and Elettronica. This year, the Italian Trade Commission is one of the top 3 sponsors of the Fair Exhibition, holding the Platinum Sponsorship, which ensures larger exposure of Italy through prominent placement of ITC logo and description in the NSTI Nanotech 2008 web site, access to several marketing initiatives and speaking opportunities during the whole event. To further promote understanding and spur collaborations between Italian and US entities during the NSTI 2008, the Trade Commission will also host a networking event at Northeastern University in Boston on June 3, titled: “Italy’s Nanotech: from Nano Research to Mega Results”.Visit us at Booth 903: www.nsti.org/Nanotech2008 or contact losangeles@losangeles.ice.it.

EVENTS TAKING PLACE IN ITALY

NANOFORUM 2008 - In its forth edition, this event serves as a forum in which top-notch Italian nanotech research meets business. The Nanoforum this year will take place September 17th & 18th in Milan and the Italian Trade Commission is currently organizing a trade mission bringing US delegates to the event. For more info: www.nanoforum.it

NANOTEC2008 - Nanotec2008 is an international yearly conference jointly organized by Airi/Nanotec IT and Veneto Nanotech, which took place in April, offering a comprehensive picture of nanotechnology in Italy in terms of activities, perspectives, needs and latest R&D developments, benchmarked against what is happening in other countries, and seeking to stimulate initiatives of cooperation, coordination and support to render efforts in this field more effective. For more Info: www.nanotec2008.it

Italian Trade Commission
NEW YORK OFFICE
Investments Desk
33 East 67^th Street - New York, NY 10021
Tel. 001 212 980-1500
Fax. 001 212 758-1050
Email: newyork@newyork.ice.it
Web: www.italtrade.com