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Vision & Mission

A world-leading research center creating cutting-edge solutions to societal challenges. Our vision, our mission and our aims to contribute to the society are all about understanding and improving the world – with the tools of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Our vision: To be at the Forefront of Nanoscience

Our vision is to be a world-leading research center that uses the unique opportunities offered by nanoscience to advance fundamental science and to address societal challenges.

Our mission: To be a Great Place to do Nanoscience for the Nanotechnology of the Future

To bring together the most creative scientists, students and industry professionals in an interdisciplinary research environment to do cutting-edge research on the materials science, physics, chemistry and safety of designed functional nanostructures, enabling important fundamental science and nanotechnology for the future.

Societal Challenges we aim to address

We have identified four areas of Societal Challenges that we can help address with our science and technology :

Enabling a sustainable society

Paradigms and technologies for efficient harvesting and use of energy, and for nanomaterial-based products that are sustainable and safe from a life-cycle perspective. Examples include solar cells based on non-toxic and abundant materials, energy storage, and reduction of pollution.

A pathway to the future information society

New physical concepts, smart materials, nanoscale devices, sensors and their heterogeneous integration to enable next-generation information technology, including alternative computation, such as quantum, neuromorphic and biological.

Precision medicine

Nano- and microstructures for biomedical research at the single-cell level and for fast point-of-care diagnostics, enabling targeted, individualized therapy.

Impact on business and society

Translating research results into products, clinical applications, and into approaches that help achieve sustainable development goals. For example, through regional and international collaboration with the private and public sectors, by helping industry to solve challenges, and by creating and attracting new industries.

Strategic aims

To help us address our Societal Challenges, we work with the following specifc strategic aims:

  1. Building and understanding devices with atom-level control. To realize three-dimensional nanostructures, devices and systems with atom-level control, and to gain deep understanding of their physical, chemical, and/or biological interactions by modeling and characterizing them at all relevant length- and time scales.
  2. Pioneering science. To make fundamental scientific discoveries that increase our understanding of the world and that form the basis for finding new paradigms and device concepts, for example based on quantum phenomena or on fluctuations in small systems.
  3. Nanotechnology applications. To invent and engineer devices with enhanced performance and new capabilities for energy, ICT, sensing and diagnostics, building on safe use of advanced nanotechnology and on deep understanding of the underlying science.
  4. A Great Place to do Nanoscience. To be an international, highly visible nanoscience center that offers exceptional scientific opportunities, training, and career development. To create state-of-the-art clean room facilities and space designed for close interactions within NanoLund, with scientists at Lund Laser Centre, MAX IV and ESS, and with students at all levels in Science Village.
  5. Impact. To be a leader in building an ecosystem that integrates education, interdisciplinary research, R&D, and private-public collaboration to take ideas from research to the market place.

NanoLund’s role in society

NanoLund aims to contribute to the society by:

  • Identifying and developing applications of nanoscience that make a positive impact on society and help address Sustainable Development Goals;
  • Engineering new technology, engaging with industry, and translating results into products and clinical applications.
  • Communicating about our research findings and about the societal impact and potential of nanoscience to the scientific community, the public and decision makers;
  • Educating individuals to a high level of technical skill, scientific insight, ethical standards, and understanding of questions of sustainability;  
  • Contributing to diversity and gender equality through recruiting, mentoring and career development;
  • Building on past investment, take new initiatives for long-term investments that will enable future breakthroughs;
  • Performing excellent scientific research for the sake of scientific insight and for the benefit of society.