INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory

INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory is the first (and so far the only) international research institution in Europe in the field of nanoscience. The INL is an intergovernmental organization founded by the Governments of Portugal and Spain under an international legal framework to promote interdisciplinary research in nanoscience and nanotechnology for the benefit of society. At INL, located in Braga (North of Portugal), scientists and engineers from all over the world work in a highly interdisciplinary environment and strive to make INL a world-wide hub for deployment of nanotechnology addressing society’s grand challenges. The research programme comprises 4 strategic fields of application of nanoscience and nanotechnology: food and environment monitoring, ICT, renewable energy and health. The INL status (2007) anticipates the possibility of opening INL to the membership of other countries and to the participation of institutions and experts from all over the world, with the objective of establishing an international pole of excellence, developing partnerships with higher education institutions and industry transferring knowledge with added-value, generating employment and training specialized professionals. The decision of creating an international research laboratory was announced on the 19th of November 2005 by the Spanish Head of Government and the Portuguese Prime-Minister when participating at the XXI Portugal-Spain Summit in Evora, Portugal.