How would you like to summarise the conference to us?
“The conference was a great success. We gathered about 210 people and 34 exhibitors from the international ecosystem related to nanoimprinting and nanoprinting lithographies. Roughly 75% of the participants were from industry which shows the large industrial relevance as well as the level of maturity of the technology. It is evident that Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) is used in the industrial production of components of relevance for many consumer products, such as lenses and displays, especially related to AR and VR.”
Would you like to tell us about the origin of why NNT + NIL ID was organised in Lund?
“The topic of Nanoimprint lithography was first introduced in the US in 1995. We in Lund took early on the challenge and managed to set up a team in Europe for a few EU projects that we were lucky to get approved, which in itself was not an easy task but we got a lot of support from the EC officer in charge of projects related to microelectronics. These early projects led to that we in Lund arranged the very first international workshop on Nanoimprint Lithography.
As a consequence, the NNT conference series was initiated and its first meeting was held one year later. So this time, we celebrated 25 years of international meetings on this NIL-topic, although the NNT conference series will have its official 25 years celebration next year. The NNT conferences are arranged every third year in Europe, USA and Asia respectively. This year, we merged the NNT 2024 with another annual European conference, the NIL Industrial days, that to a large extent was an outcome of later EU projects related to NIL, eg. the NaPa and NaPa-NIL projects. This was the first time we merged the NNT and the NIL-ID conferences, and the result was really great.”
What has been the most fun?
“When organising a large conference, you need to set up a team. We were four people, two representing the NNT and two representing the NIL-ID. We early on managed to create a very nice and easy collaboration and weekly Teams meetings. Then, the next thing was to identify a location. Meeting Point at Medicon Village is an ideal place for creating a conference environment that is inclusive and inviting.”
What surprised you during the conference? What was the most unexpected?
“We expected around 120–130 participants and maybe 10–15 exhibitors. But in the end, we were about 210 people and 34 exhibitors. This was of course a very pleasant ”surprise” that in turn led to several last-minute changes. So, to arrange a conference, you should not be a person that does not enjoy ”change”. For me, change is more a state than a transition.”
What’s your main takeaway from the conference?
“The international NIL eco-system is large and it is firmly developing – and it is no longer just a research topic within Academia but a topic with a large industrial relevance. I already now foresee a number of innovations, so the show will go on...”
What happens next – what will you do now, after the conference?
“Personally, I will have a few more weeks of various activities, especially related to the large new private-public-partnership on Innovative Advanced materials for EU, IAM4EU, that I have been strongly connected to, as Chair for the AMI 2030 initiative, since my last years as Director General for INL in Portugal. And then I am looking forward to enjoying some ”vacation” – a bit strange maybe to think about vacation when you are formally retired. But, to quote my good friend Allan Larsson: Being retired is just another way of being financed.”