Nanotechnology for Market
NANO4M aims at improving strategies and building networks to design nanotechnology for market. The project tackles some of the challenges identified in relation to the functioning of the regional innovation systems with the following objectives: 
• To improve the regions’ capacity to shorten the gap between R&D and market testing new Research-to-Market processes (R2M) 
• To strengthen the interregional collaboration by identifying and developing specific research and business opportunities of common interest in the emerging field of nano/microtechnology
• To increase competitiveness of innovation infrastructure at regional, national and European level 
• To improve the efficiency of regional innovation policies by drawing recommendations and implementing best practices
NANO4M involves four regions and eleven partners. Northrhine-Westfalia and Lorraine are at the cutting edge of nanotechnology development and they host some of the most importan European related clusters. In Asturias and Tuscany promising research facilities are currently under construction. The different profiles of the regional R+D+I strategies of these four regions as well as their common interest on several markets/technologies are the best basis for the project to reach its objectives. Each region is represented by a Regional or Local Authority and one or two Research and Technological Centers. Besides, NANO4M will offer an adequate forum for an innovative approach: the integration and implementation of new knowledge and skills through the creation of interdisciplinary expert groups.
Some activities will be focused on the exchange of experiences: seminars, conferences, study visits, reports ,maps and a good practice guideline. These activities will create a platform for the constitution of expert teams. The implementation of the new knowledge obtained through this interdisciplinary collaboration will be used for the development of feasibility studies concerning the market opportunities of new products in the nano/micro areas and identifying success and failure factors for Research to Market process in each region. Furthermore, the expertise obtained in the expert groups will also be embedded in the elaboration of strategic plans for the participating research and technology centers. NANO4M will contribute to the INTERREG IVC goal of improving the efficiency of regional policies by drawing recommendations for Regional Innovation Policies.