Scientists from Greece and abroad working hand in hand
to revive Greek innovation
GLONATECH, member of ONEX Group, participated with great success in the 3rd Hellenic Forum for Science, Technology and Innovation, th
e biggest event of the scientific community in Greece and Greek Diaspora, held from June 29th to July 3rd at the NCSR “Demokritos“.
The Manager of Research and Business Development of the company, Dr. Stephanos Nitodas, presented the European program CARBONCOMP, the EU funded (under the FP7 Program) project for the development of nanocomposite coatings, which can be applied to marine and aviation industry.
This project has been developed in order to minimize the major problems that shipping is facing:
- Biofouling on ships hulls due to barnacles, macroalgae and microbial slimes
- Durability of the applied coatings,
, which result in an increase in fuel consumption and overall costs, when shipping accounts for at least 90% of the global trade of goods.
The main objective of the CARBONCOMP project is the development of a new generation of marine coatings with the incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which have been shown to exhibit fouling release properties/action, in polymer composites.
The innovative nanotechnology applications proposed by GLONATECH, attracted great interest from the participants of the forum, since measurements on the mechanical properties of CNT’s resin nanocomposites, according to the results presented, showed that an increase of up to 300% in their mechanical strength can be attained as compared with the respective values of pure resin composites.
In fact, the coatings have been tested in the field (immersion tests) and based on the results to date, specific formulations are expected to be able to:
- Reduce the flow resistance between the ship’s hull and the water
- Lead to significant reduction in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, while decreasing the maintenance and travel costs
- Maximize profit and gain competitive advantages for the coatings manufacturers
The presentation of the CARBONCOMP project not only attracted strong interest but also set the beginning for future collaborations with leading companies globally, thus opening new horizons for the Greek industry which innovates.
During the 5-day Conference, which is organized for the third consecutive year by the National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos” under the Auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in order to enhance scientific and technology transfer collaborations for innovation, 23 workshops were held and more than 150 speakers, of whom approximately 100 are world class scientists of the Greek Diaspora, well recognized abroad in the fields of Nanotechnology, Energy & Environment, Life Sciences and ICT participated in the event.
GLONATECH representatives also attended the Hellenic Forum’s Brokerage Event on June 30th, during which they discussed with prominent scientists, business executives and other interested stakeholders the growth prospects based on innovative research results.
With the motto “Scientists abroad working hand in hand to revive Greek innovation”, the main purpose of the Forum was: The development of cooperation with Greek businessmen and scientists of the Greek Diaspora, with a view to convert research results into internationally competitive products in cutting-edge areas of great importance to the national economy, the establishment of partnerships for the suggestion of joint research programs and the development of incentives for young scientists, so as to control and gradually reduce the brain drain.
According to the President of NCSR “Demokritos”, which hosted the event, the main objective of the Hellenic Forum is to establish itself as a meeting point of Greek scientists, both in Greece and Diaspora, as well as contribute to the development of a network of interactive partnerships with distinguished Greek and foreign scientists of the international scientific community, according to the international standards and following the example of other countries like Israel, China and India.
