nanoGUNE contributes with its nanotechnology expertise to the CENIT project ‘Customatized Eye Care (CeyeC)’. Granted by the Spanish Government, nanoGUNE has been collaborating since January 2010 with biocompanies in the development of new diagnostic tools for the pathologies of the eye surface, as an example of nanothecnology interdisciplinarity.

The nanoGUNE building, designed by the architect Javier San José, has been remarked as one of the finalists in the COAVN Architecture Awards in the category of Community Buildings, awarded by the Official Association of Architects of the Basque Country.

The micrograph of a spider-like spin valve, obtained by staff scientist Felix Casanova from the Nanodevices Group, has been selected to illustrate the 2010 Calendar by Raith, supplier of state-of-the-art electron-beam lithography equipments.

For the purpose of building up a world-class Electron Microscopy facility, CIC nanoGUNE announces a recent agreement with FEI Company that includes the purchase of several high-end electron microscopes including TEM/STEM, Dual Beam FIB, and ESEM.

Dr. Andreas Berger, nanoGUNE´s research director, has been selected as an editorial board member of the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, one of the world-wide leading journals on magnetism related research published by Elsevier. Starting from January 1st, 2010, he will serve a 3 year term in this capacity.

A joint team of researchers at CIC nanoGUNE (San Sebastian, Spain) and the Max-Planck-Institutes of Biochemistry and Plasma Physics (Munich, Germany) report the non-invasive and nanoscale resolved infrared mapping of strain fields in semiconductors.

On 18 November 2009, a special mention by the jury of the ninth Manuel Laborde Werlinden prize went to the Graphenea initiative presented by Jose M. Pitarke (Director of nanoGUNE and Professor of Condensed Matter Physics at the University of the Basque Country) for his business initiative on graphene, a two-dimensional nanoscale material exhibiting extraordinary electrical and mechanical properties.

The ATOM BY ATOM conference opened to the public via its plenary section for the purpose of disseminating, in a clear and accessible manner, nanoscience and nanotechnology.

The TNT high-level scientific meeting series aims to present a broad range of current research in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology as well as related policies (European Commission, etc.) or other kind of initiatives (nanoGUNE, FinNano, GDR-I, etc.).

Albert Fert (Unité Mixte de Physique NRS/Thales) Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of the giant magnetoresistance effect, visited CIC nanoGUNE’s facilities and discussed about present and future collaborations.