NewSkin – Up-scaling and testing facilities available for start-ups, SMEs, Research organisations needing to validate innovative processes to manufacture nano-enabled industrial and consumer products

Summary

An Italian association of companies, partner of the Horizon 2020 project “NewSkin: Innovation Eco-system to Accelerate the Industrial Uptake of Advanced Surface Nano-Technologies” offers up-scaling and testing facilities for the validation of innovative processes to manufacture nano-enabled industrial and consumer products. Eligible entities include enterprises and R&D organizations. The association is open to technological or research agreements.

Description

An Italian association of companies, that represents over 3200 manufacturing and service SMEs and large entreprises is part of the Horizon 2020 project “NewSkin: Innovation Eco-system to Accelerate the Industrial Uptake of Advanced Surface Nano-Technologies”.
The NewSkin project aims to create an Open Innovation Test Bed (OITB) to provide the European Innovation Ecosystem with the necessary technologies, resources and services to uptake a set of game-changing, efficient and cost-effective innovative processes to manufacture nano-enabled industrial and consumer products, as well as the necessary testing capabilities to demonstrate the features of nano-enhanced goods.
The OITB structure is composed by a set of 55 demos and is used to show case of the commercial potential of NewSkin across different industries. OITB services will be available on a free basis through four competitive Open Calls that will be evaluated every six months over a period of two years (from October 2021 to June 2023). Mature projects (high Technology Readiness Level or Manufacturing Readiness Level) will be encouraged.
NewSkin OITB services include:
• Access to existing Pilot lines sites around Europe – Upscaling;
• Monitoring & Controlling;
• Modelling & Testing: prototyping, design, LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), test sites, Nanosafety assessment and RMS;
• Regulatory / Standardization;
• Innovation Management and Market Uptake (Business Plan definition, access to corporate funding, dissemination services).
NewSkin nano-enabled surfaces and membranes technological portfolio includes:
• The complete set of processes for large-scale manufacturing of graphene nano-enabled membranes (from continuous graphene production to nano-pore creation and functionalization as well as testing facilities).
• Continuous laser texturing, roll to roll (R2R) and Texturing During Moulding (TDM) nano-textures mass production processes.
• Pilot plant semi-industrial facilities for the definition of efficient automated controlled and nano-safe nano-coating processes for large components.
• Continuous PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) and CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) processes.

Advantages & innovations

Selected applicants will: • have free of charge access to all services of the ecosystem up to a maximum of 60.000 € per applicant; • have the opportunity to innovate and develop their business idea; • receive mentoring and support of industry experts for their concept; • be part of a wide network establishing long-term relationships with key industry players. Application fields that may have a benefit include: • Structural steel • Automotive, aerospace & industrial components • Marine transport • Machining tools • Water treatment • Films, lenses and packaging • Orthopaedic prosthesis • Construction (facades & windows) • Renewable energy (wind & solar) Services provided include: • Mass production Functional and High Performance Surfaces: R2R Processes, Texturing During Molding (TDM) Processes • Direct Texturing & Coating of Components for Automotive and Industrial Components • High Performance and Functional Coatings and Textures: PVD, Sol-gel • Application and Testing of nano-formulated coatings: application facilities and testing facilities • Continuous Production of Monoatomic Graphene Membranes and other advanced functional layers • Continuous Production of Graphene, CNT, Graphene Oxide and other nano-particles Membranes • Membrane Texturing and Coating for Improved Selectivity and Fouling Resistance. The offered know-how, expertise, technologies, testing capabilities, resources and services to uptake game-changing, efficient and cost-effective innovative processes to manufacture nano-enabled industrial and consumer products, as well as to demonstrate the features of nano-enhanced goods.

Stage of development

Project already started

Contact/ source: Enterprise Europe Network (europa.eu)