The Swiss Nanoscience Institute (SNI) at the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...

is a center of excellence for nanosciences and

nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

in Northwestern

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

(Aargau, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, and Solothurn). It was founded in 2006 by the

Canton of Aargau Aargau ( ; ), more formally the Canton of Aargau (; ; ; ), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capital is Aarau. Aargau is one of the most northerly cantons of Switzerland, by th ...

and the University of Basel to succeed the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) Nanoscale Science. Its mission is to support research, technology transfer, and academics in the nanoscience's and nanotechnology.SNI Annual Report 2022
p. 8 The SNI is based on an interdisciplinary network of partner organizations and researchers who participate in basic or applied research projects and are involved in educating nanoscience's students and doctoral students at the University of Basel. The SNI includes the Nano Technology Center at the University of Basel, which encompasses the Nano Imaging Lab and the Nano Fabrication Lab. These two service units provide academic institutions and industrial companies with services in the areas of microscopic imaging and analysis (

electron microscopy An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of electrons as a source of illumination. It uses electron optics that are analogous to the glass lenses of an optical light microscope to control the electron beam, for instance focusing i ...

and

scanning probe microscopy Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is a branch of microscopy that forms images of surfaces using a physical probe that scans the specimen. SPM was founded in 1981, with the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope, an instrument for imaging ...

) and

nanofabrication Nanolithography (NL) is a growing field of techniques within nanotechnology dealing with the engineering (patterning e.g. etching, depositing, writing, printing etc) of nanometer-scale structures on various materials. The modern term reflects on ...

Education

The SNI organizes and coordinates the interdisciplinary bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in nanosciences at the University of Basel, which have been offered since 2002. Students on the bachelor’s program first receive a comprehensive grounding in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics and can then choose from an extensive range of electives over the course of their studies. Students on the master’s program choose one specialization module from the fields of nanobiology, medical nanosciences, nanochemistry and nanophysics but their education remains otherwise interdisciplinary until the end of the master’s degree program. The course is intended to qualify students for future work at the interface between different disciplines, where they can help to solve outstanding societal challenges. In 2012, the SNI expanded its program to include PhD students. Based at the University of Basel, this school has around 40 international doctoral students enrolled in any given year.

Research and technology transfer

Nanoscience at the SNI: Sample in the high vacuum chamber of a scanning probe microscope. In the SNI network, interdisciplinary teams conduct

basic Basic or BASIC may refer to: Science and technology * BASIC, a computer programming language * Basic (chemistry), having the properties of a base * Basic access authentication, in HTTP Entertainment * Basic (film), ''Basic'' (film), a 2003 film ...

and

applied research Applied science is the application of the scientific method and scientific knowledge to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines, such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted with basic science, ...

in various fields, such as the

life sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, ...

medical technology Health technology is defined by the World Health Organization as the "application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures, and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of liv ...

sensor technology A sensor is often defined as a device that receives and responds to a signal or stimulus. The stimulus is the quantity, property, or condition that is sensed and converted into electrical signal. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a devi ...

photonics Photonics is a branch of optics that involves the application of generation, detection, and manipulation of light in the form of photons through emission, transmission, modulation, signal processing, switching, amplification, and sensing. E ...

phononics A phonon is a collective excitation in a periodic, elastic arrangement of atoms or molecules in condensed matter, specifically in solids and some liquids. In the context of optically trapped objects, the quantized vibration mode can be defined as ...

and

materials science Materials science is an interdisciplinary field of researching and discovering materials. Materials engineering is an engineering field of finding uses for materials in other fields and industries. The intellectual origins of materials sci ...

. At the same time, the SNI provides financial support for the two Argovia professors Roderick Lim (

nanobiology Nanobiotechnology, bionanotechnology, and nanobiology are terms that refer to the intersection of nanotechnology and biology. Given that the subject is one that has only emerged very recently, bionanotechnology and nanobiotechnology serve as blank ...

) and

Martino Poggio Martino Poggio (born 5 March 1978, in Tübingen) is an Italian-American nanophysicist who has been a professor of physics at the University of Basel (Switzerland) since 2009 and director of the Swiss Nanoscience Institute at the University of B ...

(

nanomagnetism In magnetism, a nanomagnet is a nanoscopic scale system that presents spontaneous magnetic order (magnetization) at zero applied magnetic field (remanence). The small size of nanomagnets prevents the formation of magnetic domains (see single doma ...

nanosensors Nanosensors are nanoscale devices that measure physical quantities and convert these to signals that can be detected and analyzed. There are several ways proposed today to make nanosensors; these include top-down lithography, bottom-up assembly, ...

) as well as three titular professors at the Paul Scherrer Institute, each of whom has a teaching contract at the University of Basel. As part of the Nano-Argovia program, the SNI actively supports knowledge and technology transfer to industrial companies from Northwestern Switzerland. Collaboration with industry is also supported by the ANAXAM technology transfer center, of which the SNI is a founding member. ANAXAM provides companies throughout Switzerland with access to state-of-the-art analytical methods. Founded in 2023, the Swiss Photonics Integration Center (Swiss PIC) has plans to provide these companies with access to, in particular, innovative optical systems.

Services

The Nano Imaging Lab of the Swiss Nanoscience InstituteThe SNI is available as a provider of various services to partners in

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

and

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

. Forming part of the SNI since 2016, the Nano Imaging Lab (NI Lab) provides comprehensive services in the area of surface imaging and analysis.

Organization

The SNI is managed by an Executive Committee whose members include the director of the SNI, professors from network partners and the SNI General Manager. The Executive Committee ensures communication with network partners, decides on the allocation of funding and is accountable to the highest supervisory body, the Argovia Committee. Moreover, the Executive Committee is also responsible for ensuring compliance with university guidelines and contractual agreements with the

. The SNI includes all project leaders involved in SNI projects, all doctoral students, the staff of the Nano Technology Center, the SNI management team, and voluntary members. At the end of 2022, the SNI had 166 members. From 2006 to 2022, the SNI was led by Professor Christian Schönenberger as its director. Professor

became the new director in August 2022.

Public relations

The SNI team plays an active role in public relations and outreach with a view to providing information about the nanosciences in general, encouraging an interest in the natural sciences, and helping a wide audience gain a better understanding of research work. To this end, the institute arranges visitor programs and workshops for school classes, maintains a presence at science fairs and provides extensive materials, including instructions for experiments that people can carry out themselves.

References

External links

Swiss Nanoscience InstituteYouTube Channel
{{authority control Research institutes in Switzerland Nanotechnology institutions