Materials and devices at the nanoscale (a nanometer is one billionth of one meter) hold vast promise for innovation in virtually every industry and public endeavor including health, electronics, transportation, the environment, energy, and national security.

Established in 2000, the International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN) at Northwestern University provided the infrastructure necessary to make substantial advances in the field. Today the IIN is a global hub of excellence in the field and currently represents and unites over $600 million in nanotechnology research, educational programs, and supporting infrastructure.

Collaborative partnerships exist in 18 countries, and relationships have been developed with universities in Europe, Asia, and North and South America that provide opportunities for student and postdoctoral exchange programs and joint workshops.

Twenty start-up companies have been launched since inception and over 50 products and systems have been commercialized. Twenty-seven corporations have partnered with the IIN through programs like the Nanotechnology Corporate Partners (NCP) program. Over $12 million has been invested in state-of-the-art instrumentation.

Educational programs are in place that train the next generation of teachers and researchers, and outreach programs inform the academic community as well as the general public. The IIN has sponsored over 200 seminars, workshops, and symposia; supported over 300 undergraduates and 88 pre-college teachers in nanotechnology-related research; and launched two new journals (Small in partnership with Wiley Publishing and Nanoscape, the first undergraduate journal on nanotechnology in the country).

The IIN embodies an extraordinary combination of scientific capabilities, outreach programs, and partnerships that provide a unique and fertile ground from which to continue to make substantial contributions to the field and ensure that the U.S. remains a world leader in nanotechnology. We remain focused on our core competencies:

• Catalyzing and supporting world-class interdisciplinary research,
• Providing programs that support translation of new technologies to the marketplace,
• Investing in critical infrastructure,
• Developing and strengthening mutually beneficial local, national, and global collaborations, and
• Supporting educational excellence and professional development .

We invite you to explore the IIN web site for an overview of some of the IIN programs and to contact us if you would like to learn more.

Sincerely,
Chad A. Mirkin, Director