CH2M HILL hosts Chinese delegation to advance nanotechnology research collaboration

USA: The Portland, Oregon office of CH2M HILL, a global full-service consulting, design, construction, and operations firm, hosted a May 15 visit by a delegation from Suzhou, China as part of CH2M HILL’s support of a major Chinese nanotechnology industrialization  facility in Suzhou.

CH2M HILL is providing design for a multi-story Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) pilot line on the massive Nanopolis campus. CH2M HILL was asked by Nanopolis President Dr. Xijun Zhang to facilitate introductions to science and technology leaders in Portland, which maintains a “Sister City” relationship with Suzhou.

CH2M HILL arranged for the Nanopolis delegation to meet with representatives of the State of Oregon, Portland State University, a regional venture capital firm, and FEI Company, a preeminent Oregon-based manufacturer of electronic microscopy and related nanotechnology research equipment.

These meetings focused on the increasing role of the Nanopolis complex as a model that may be replicated elsewhere in China for attracting entrepreneurs to incubate and commercialize new nanotechnologies. Suzhou intends to attract more nanotech companies and experts from around the world. International collaborations are already forming on the Nanopolis site, such as the China-Finland Nano Innovation Center and The Dutch Science & Technology SME China Centre.

Suzhou launched the "Nanopolis Suzhou" initiative with a commitment of about $1.5 billion over 5 years to provide a complete ecosystem for the growth of nanotechnology and nanotech-enabled new industries.

Areas of focus include micro and nano manufacturing, energy and clean tech, nano materials and nanobiotech. Nanopolis provides not just incubation facilities for Suzhou's overflowing number of nanotech venture companies, but also an innovation and commercialization base for global companies. The dynamic Nanopolis environment is designed to carry new nanotechnologies rapidly from research and development to pilot production, and then on to mass production.

The Nanopolis facility CH2M HILL is designing has highly specialized systems including advanced research and development labs, stacked cleanrooms, pilot and manufacturing areas, ISO 5 and 7 cleanrooms, VC-D and VC-C vibration criteria, E-beam metrology and research suites with Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) capability, a technique transmitting a beam of electrons through ultra-thin specimens.