RESEARCH: FIRST EUROPEAN RESEARCH CENTRE FOR MICRO AND NANO-ELECTRONICS.

• Position: Brief Article

On September 27, local officials in Grenoble (France) laid the foundation stone of Minatech - a centre for teaching, research and development which aims to become "Europe's top centre for innovation and expertise in micro and nanotechnology" by 2006. It is being created with investments of Euro 193 million and is 48.3% funded by local authorities. Built on 8 hectares in the centre of Grenoble, Minatec will host 1,000 students, 120 lecturers/researchers, 1,200 researchers and provide around 1,000 direct industrial jobs. It is the first time that local authorities in France have raised such a large amount for a tripartite facility: research, teaching and industrial assessment, working on micro (one thousandth of a metre) and nanotechnologies (one billionth of a metre). The centre wants to be Europe's...