The Science and Technology Park for Micro and Nanotechnologies (MINATECH-RO) Contact: MINATECH-RO (www.minatech.ro); E-mail: team@minatech.ro Main location: National Institute for R&D in Microtechnologies, 32 B Erou Iancu Street, Bucharest..

The Science and Technology Park for Micro and Nanotechnologies was set-up by a consortium including":

- National Institute for R&D in Microtechnologies (IMT)
- “Politehnica” University of Bucharest (PUB)
- S.C. ROMES S.A.

The partners in the consortium have experience in working together, in national and also international projects.

During 2004 and 2005 MINATECH-RO received institutional funding from the national programme INFRATECH. This financing was used for new clean room spaces, new equipments and also for preparing the room for accommodating a number of small companies active in the micro- and nanotechnologies (MNT) field, or providing support to these companies. The official inauguration of the park is due early spring 2006. The main location is in IMT, with a secondary one in PUB.

The specific activities of MINATECH-RO (many implemented through CTT-Baneasa) are:

• Technological transfer (realization of prototypes, demonstrators or experimental models; small scale/pilot production after realizing the prototype);
• Incubation;
• Technological services, micro-physical characterization, simulation and computer aided design;
• Learning/training by preparation courses and stages (with practical training) in the Microsystems, micro- and nanotechnologies and microengineering domains;
• Assistance and consultancy activities for SMEs and small innovative enterprises: information in micro-engineering,
• Microsystems, micro- and nanotechnologies, access to databases, documentation, etc.;
• Technological consultancy;
• Brokerage (for services in the domain), reliability studies;
• Facilitating the access of Romanian innovative SMEs in European partnerships;
• Dissemination of information (organizing conferences, workshops, editing publications, etc.);
• Research and development

An essential function of the park is “incubation”. The park provides not only standard conditions (room for offices, telephones, internet, secretary services), but also the possibility to use equipments requiring special working conditions, characteristic for chemistry laboratories or laboratories in the semiconductor industry: cleanliness, air conditioning, stove aspiration (for chemical substances), neutralization of waste products (for environment protection), deionised water, nitrogen, protection from explosion, etc. These equipments will be installed in spaces rent to companies or in common spaces. Technical assistance will be provided for all these equipments, together with consultancy for the activities of the companies and also the rent of certain equipments.

The incubation area of the park is situated in IMT, on the industrial platform Baneasa. The research offer of IMT is considerable, with a number of R&D
laboratories involved in dozens of applied research contracts, including R&D partners and companies from abroad (some activities are financed by FP6 projects). Some laboratories are contact points of European networks of excellence, offering access to their activities. The network-type CEEX projects (2005-2008) supporting the networks RO-NANOMED (nanomedicine) and respectively NANOSCALE-CONV (facilities for nano-characterization and nano- structuring). Both networks have technological laboratories in MINATECH-RO, as interaction platform between partners.

The influence of the University “Politehnica” of Bucharest, is also present in this area through the common laboratories and working points assured for teachers and also for master or doctoral students.

In order to promote CTT-Baneasa (see the previous page) and MINATECH-RO, IMT organized at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania, on 7th of December, 2005 a workshop devoted to “Access to micro- and nanotechnologies” (see the figure 1)

Fig 1. workshop on 7th of December, 2005, CCIRB

The event was focused on the facilities provided to SMEs and opportunities open by the direct and indirect use of the new technologies. This event was attended by about 75 people from industry and research. Due to its technical experience, broad offer of services and the involvement in the EUROPRACTICE system of services, IMT is an ideal partner for the innovative SMEs. At the same event, Mr. Daniel Cosnita (GTZ) anticipated the launching of the Romanian-German Centre for Micro- and Nanotechnologies (actually taking place on 15th of February 2006), by explaining the advantages of this bilateral partnership (see the figure 2) A visit of a Chinese delegation is also illustrated in figure 3. The promotion of the park continued on 15th of December, 2005, during the “day of open gates”. On this occasion, the lecture hall of the MINATECH-RO park was officially used for the first time (see the figure 4) for the presentation of technical and logistical capabilities of IMT used for technological transfer and services. The participants visited the exhibition space (see the figure 5), which will be also used by the residents in the park. They also visited the main laboratories and the technological area.

Fig 2. Mr. Daniel Cosnita (GTZ)

Fig 3. Visit of Chinese Delegation in November 2005

Fig 4. Day of “open gates”, 15th of December, 2005, Lecture hall

Fig 5. Day of “open gates”, 15th of December, 2005, Exhibition hall