MIT-Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory
In June, 2009, the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) and MIT began a major new collaboration to enrich each institution's research activities in nanoscience and nanotechnology. MIT-INL, a new education and research enterprise focusing on nanotechnology, will enable approximately $35 million (25 million euro) of new sponsored research with MIT in its first five years.
Students can apply for summer or IAP research internships through MIT-INL, and there will be periodic Institute-wide calls for proposals from faculty for new research projects.
The first phase in the five-year MIT-INL collaboration will involve a number of current MIT research projects in the Microsystems Technology Laboratories and the Materials Processing Center. The collaboration will allow for exploring not only nanomaterials and devices but also how to integrate them in systems. These initial projects include:
- Research on nanoparticles that can selectively adsorb water contaminants
- Autonomous microsystems that can move around water supplies and sense contaminants (while sustaining themselves on power scavenged from their environments)
- New materials for energy storage
- Revolutionary tools and technologies for monitoring our food supply
INL opened in 2009 as an international research facility and is a joint project of the governments of Portugal and Spain. The MIT-INL agreement leverages the Institute's especially strong reputation in materials science, engineering, nanotechnology and biotechnology.
