Laszlo Bax - General Director, Willems & van den Wildenberg, Spain

The NRM roadmaps on materials

- General conclusions based on the opinions of over 100 carefully selected nanomaterial experts
- Specifics on (a selection of) carbon nanotubes, dendrimers, thin films & coatings, nanoporous materials and nanoparticles & composites
- Comparing risks - potential rewards ratio for foreseen applications
- Separating early stage from close-to-market products
- Observations on TT opportunities & TT routes for nanomaterials
- FP7 first call opportunities in this field

The NRM project (co-funded by the EC; www.nanoroadmap.it) resulted in roadmap reports on 4 nanomaterials subcategories, 4 on nanotech issues related to health, and 4 on nanotech issues related to energy. The presentation will present the main findings of the four nanomaterials roadmapping excercises in this NRM project which were led & written by W&W Spain. In addition, a fifth report on carbon nanotubes was prepared by W&W outside of the framework of the NRM project; also this report will be briefly presented. Based on the key findings of the reports and combining these with FP7 work programmes that are presently under development, Mr Bax will explore specific opportunities for technology transfer found in the areas considered, and highlight those topics that may be addressed in the first call of the NMP theme. The presentation represents the opinion of the speaker only; the presentation and the reports presented do not in any way represent EC policies, opinions or positions.

W&W is a company dedicated to optimize the impact of R&D investments of its clients. To achieve this, we offer services related to understanding future markets and technologies, to doing the right R&D, to doing the R&D right and in management of portfolios of R&D projects aligned with a business growth strategy. We work for EU's 500 biggest industries as well as for smaller, equally professionally run industries. We also provide related support to local, regional, national and EU level government entities. W&W Spain is member of the European Industrial R&D Management Association (www.eirma.org) as well as of ACEC, the Catalan Association of Consulting Companies.
During the last few years, W&W has reinforced its position in the field of nanotechnology through e.g. its participation as a key partner in the project NanoRoadMap (NRM, www.nanoroadmap.it. W&W is the leading partner responsible for the Nanomaterials sector, allowing us to consolidate and strengthen our first-class international network of contacts in the field.
Mr Bax, general director of W&W Spain graduated in 1991 as an Industrial Design Engineer at the Delft University of Technology. During his career, Mr. Bax has supported hundreds of industrial companies in the definition and realisation of R&D strategies, as well as in business creation strategies based on R&D capabilities or R&D results. He furthermore has on numerous occasions acted as R&D strategy advisor to governmental entities such as the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Catalan Department of Industry or the European Commission DG Research. In the field of business creation related to nanotechnology, he started supporting a consortium of SMEs in the area of zeolite nano-membranes as early as 1993, continuing to work in nanotech entrepreneurship ever since. Recently he co-founded a Spanish start-up focused on carbon nanotube research (Nanozar, www.nanozar.com) which supplies contract R&D services to large industrial clients that seek competitive advantage based on carbon nanotube enabled new or enhanced material functionalities.  Mr Bax also acts as expert evaluator for some EC FP6 calls related to materials and as a board member on several industry association or charity boards.

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