Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology inspire conference

The conference is organised by the MacDiarmid Institute, hosted by Victoria University, in major partnership with Industrial Research Limited and the University of Canterbury.

The Institute, was selected as a Government-funded Centre of Research Excellence in March 2002 to study these materials. It has received three-year operational funding of $13.39m and a one-off $9.8m capital grant.

The Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology conference will be held in Wellington on 9-14 February 2003.

Super efficient materials

Professor Paul Callaghan, Director of the MacDiarmid Institute says that many of tomorrow's innovative technologies will require new and super efficient materials.

The science focuses on understanding and using innovative materials to create applications including self-sterilising surfaces, non-corrosive paints, new food textures, wear-resistant machinery, next generation DVDs and fibres that match the strength of spider silk.

"The Government's selection of the MacDiarmid Institute as a Centre of Research Excellence recognises the fine scientific discoveries made by New Zealand scientists from as far back as Ernest Lord Rutherford, through to science heroes of today including Alan MacDiarmid, Maurice Wilkins and Jeff Tallon. The Institute is excited to be able to continue that work, educating young people and fostering scientific excellence," says Professor Callaghan.

'The fact that Alan MacDiarmid, Alan Heeger and Hideki Shirakawa want to come to New Zealand shows that investment in the MacDiarmid Institute was a far sighted decision. New Zealand is firmly part of the global investigation of new materials with potentially ground-breaking applications."