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“I could appreciate the mechanisms developed to connect researchers of the highest level with small and large industries.” Daniel Lupi

Daniel Lupi is the president of the Argentinean Nanotechnology Foundation and within the PLATA technology platform he is coordinating the ICT components working group. He had the chance of participating in the ENIAC CATRENE Brokerage held in Berlin on February 1 – 2, 2011.

In this interview, he explains his experience in this meeting and how the relation between European Technology Platforms and LATPs can improve Latin America’s work.

1) How was the experience of participating in the ENIAC CATRENE event?

As the official representative of the PLATA Future Internet activities in the field of ICTcomponents, I was warmly welcomed by Mr. Andreas Wild (ENIAC Executive Director) and his collaborators with whom we envisaged a first approach to bring this kind of actions and research cooperation to Latin America as a potential partner in different stages of the product design and development.

More than that, I found that the mechanics of the “Brokerage Event” is of high effectiveness and I will try to implement it with the support of the PLATA Future Internet technology platform during the next Congress “NanoMercosur 2011” that we are organizing in Argentina.

During the event and also in informal meetings aside the main conference room I could appreciate the mechanisms developed to connect researchers of the highest level with small and large industries.

ENIAC acts as a small organization, in the private sphere, with great flexibility to identify partners and needs. Once identified certain needs and the main stakeholders, consortia supported by European funds are fostered in order to conduct the implementation of research projects between industry and academia focused on those needs.  Press release nº 22 In this frame: the Industry must propose projects that the public authorities and the ENIAC Joint Undertaking are compelled to fund in the mid and long term.

The coordination of the opinions and requirements of enterprises is powered by the CATRENE and AENEAS initiatives covering the initiatives for the short term as well as the strategic vision for the long-term in the nanotechnology arena.

2) Do you recommend this experience to other Latin American Experts? Why?

Undoubtedly, this is a challenge of great importance for Latin America. If we want to be part of the huge amount of activities and opportunities that the Seventh Framework Programme and the European Union offer, we need to understand the complex mechanisms set up by the EU to support both science and technology, and make that scientific development benefit the society through more business (especially for SMEs). For this activity the active participation in our Argentinean technology platform PLATA, is highly encouraged.

On the other hand, the information on which kind of projects are supposed to be proposed for the next years is something that we can only obtain in this type of events where large and small companies and research institutes of first level met together.

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• FIRST_PR-22