On 9 April 2010, a new start-up company (Graphenea) was launched as a joint venture of private investors and nanoGUNE. The new company, which is located at the nanoGUNE facilities, has been created with the mission of developing graphene-based process and product technology as well as conducting related research activities. Amaia Zurutuza, coming from Controlled Therapeutics Scotland (CTS) Ltd. in Glasgow, took on 9 April 2010 her new responsabilities as Scientific Director of Graphenea.

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 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.

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.

On January 30 2009, the official opening of nanoGUNE was celebrated. The ceremony began at 11:00, followed by this series of speeches:

In a recent letter published by the Journal Nano Letters it is reported the experimental observation of an extremely dark material made by a low-density nanotube array (read the abstract here).