Part 1: Nanotechnology in Construction in the 21st Century

FROM NANOTECHNOLOGY TO NEW PRODUCTION SYSTEMS: THE EU PERSPECTIVE

Hervé Pêro

DG Research - EUROPEAN COMMISSION – 200 rue de la Loi, Brussels

1 INTRODUCTION

It is my pleasure to be able to give a key note address on such an exciting subject, not only because I am an engineer by training and have worked several years in industry - therefore it reminds me of very good times - but also because research on nanotechnology and its applications represent a key factor for the development of high added value products and will surely provide the basis for a competitive and sustainable development of European industry.

2 NANOTECHNOLOGY

Nanotechnology is a relatively young field of science and technology, with an enormous market potential and societal and economic impacts, and for all industrial sectors. Nanotechnology is truly multidisciplinary. Research at the nano-scale frontier is unified by the need to develop knowledge, tools, techniques and expertise on atomic and molecular interactions for applications in real products. Nanotechnology covers a wide range of research and innovation aspects, for example: magnetic random access memories; simplification and use of biological molecular functionalities; nano-wires, nano-crystals, carbon nano-tubes, and quantum effects; industrial production of nano-coatings; epitaxial self-assembly, etc. Nanocomposites for example, which are hybrids of greatly differing components – often comprising an inorganic and an organic component – are probably among the most promising new materials. Their applications range from mechanically reinforced lightweight components to components for batteries, sensors, adhesives, packaging materials, pigments, building and construction materials and artificial body parts.

The development of a strong European position in this field, and the establishment of a European nanotechnology industry, requires a concerted approach at the European level in order to:

- Merge and facilitate complementary and unique competencies.

- Define strategic plans and positioning (roadmaps).

- Share large investments and/or common use of research facilities .

- Set up common R&D open platforms.

- Initiate cores for EU collaborations.

- Increase attractiveness of research groups for e.g. junior researchers.

The European Union via the Framework Programmes funds only part of the research in Europe (its contribution corresponds to roughly 6% of overall European investment in research). The current Framework Programme (period 2003-2006) is open to international co-operation virtually with all Countries in the world. Despite its reduced quantity, by quality the Union's research plays a key role for European integration and acts as catalyst of much larger impact. In orientative terms, the total European investment in the nano-research is being estimated around 700M Euro per year.

3 RESEARCH AND THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR

The Construction sector, with annual turnover of almost 1000 Billion &8364;, total directly employed workforce of more than 11 million people, and another 15 million indirect employment is Europe's major industrial sector contributing with about 10% to the GDP. It is of enormous importance for European social and economic cohesion, considering also the facts that it is largely dominated by small and medium size enterprises and it motivates the economic activity of all other sectors by consuming products and services and providing space and infrastructure. Europe is world leader with 30% of the overall market but construction is mainly local business as less than 4% of the market is international.

Facing challenges of competitiveness and the needs for modernisation, the commitment of the sector in research is a key priority. The construction sector drastically needs research activities, for the competitiveness of its large projects of course, for ensuring safety of infrastructures such as bridges or tunnels, for maintaining the world cultural heritage, but also to support modernisation of the numerous SMEs (97% of enterprises).

However, the fact that this industry is very fragmented makes the changes happen very slowly. Tight regulation is also one of the characteristics of this sector, which needs to be taken into account in forecasting any technical progress. Long life span, high costs, and particular business model are also obstacles for drastic innovation. However, the signs of changes are there; we see more and more public-private partnerships, service contracts, performance based approaches, products/services, etc.

The Construction sector has continuously participated in European Research Programmes for more than 15 years and has clearly demonstrated its interests in different fields of research and innovation:

• Higher performance and intelligent materials, including for repair and rehabilitation of existing structures.

• Innovative systems that optimise the "design-production-service-end of life" value-chain through the development of new tools based on information technologies.

• New technologies for processing of multicultural applications/products.

• New production methods that drastically reduce the amount of water, energy and waste, as well as environment technologies linked with recycling or recovery of products.

Innovation in construction is largely "invisible" for the general public. It involves very often the use of new technologies and/or materials for the design, construction or maintenance of well-known products. As generic and high added value products, many elements of the built environment are at the basis of the competitiveness of European industry as a whole, as well as the basis of many clean and safe technologies for a better world.

Under the FP5 Growth, (Competitive and Sustainable Growth Programme), construction related projects were mainly supported by the Key Action 1 "Innovative Products, Processes and Organisation". At the same time, long-term research relevant to new and improved materials was treated under the Generic technologies: "Materials and their technologies for production and transformation".

The GROWTH programme, for the period 1999-2002, funded about 93 projects directly linked to the construction sector corresponding to a substantial amount of funding equivalent to 6-7% of the total. The construction sector has also substantially participated in other Community Research programmes (1ST and EESD).

For what concerns FP6,1 am pleased that this sector does not only recognise the need to integrate, and better structure its research efforts but that in fact, this movement has already taken place. This is evident from the analysis of the Expression of Interests, in which the construction industry participated actively.

The construction sector participated also well in the first call for NMP. A total of 18 proposals directly linked to the sector were submitted under different research priorities, over a total of 406 proposals. For different reasons none of these proposals succeeded to pass to the second stage. I would like to reassure you that we are considering both the interest and the particularities of the sector in research and together with the programme committee and the advisory group we plan to address these issues in the next NMP call.

Research is needed for the European Construction Industry but it should help shifting existing paths towards sustainable development.

Indeed the "business as usual" approach and even the efforts towards minimisation of impacts on environment are dramatically leading in the medium to long term to a huge crisis at world level. The only solution is to turn towards sustainable development, which means ensuring the same - if not better - conditions to the next generations as we have today, without negative impact on our economic activity. Sustainable development may be a utopia ... but what a stimulating goal for researchers and industrialists!

At the same time that Sustainable Development is the cornerstone of any EC action plan, strengthening industrial competitiveness in Europe constitutes the key to achieving the strategic goals of sustainable industrial development. It can be stated that the Lisbon Strategy, the various EC communications of industrial policy and on innovation, and the European Strategy for Sustainable Development pave the way Europe would like to take: the way towards a world-leading manufacturing sector that addresses the needs of a sustainable society!

Enormous efforts remain: consumption of resources needs to be drastically reduced, in buildings, during their construction and during materials processing. Also, if energy consumption of buildings could be reduced by 30% (which is easily achievable), the Kyoto objective of reducing CO2 emissions at the level of 8% could be achieved.

4 FROM NANOTECHNOLOGY TO NEW CONSTRUCTION PROCESSES

Nanosciences and nanotechnologies represent a new revolutionary approach in the way of thinking and producing, as they somehow revert to the traditional scientific approach and production processes, from "big" to "small".

The new goal being achieved runs from "small" to "big", building by adding together atom by atom and molecule by molecule. Conceptually, this is easy: it is just an imitation of nature. In practice, it is a huge revolution that is allowing us to create better performing products and processes, within an ideal context of sustainable development.

Industry will be one of the major beneficiaries of nanotechnology. Now it is approaching it in a rather "top-down" direction, whilst mostly universities are engaged in exploring "bottom-up", self-organising, self-assembling routes. Both ways need research. The more we improve knowledge and command at the nanoscale, the quicker we will be able to use it in industrial production.

Nanotechnology opens the way towards new production routes, towards new, more efficient, better performing and intelligent materials, towards new design of structures and related monitoring and maintenance systems. Nanoparticles and nanocomposite materials are already earning a lot of money. Over the next five years, for example, nanotechnology-based paints, pigments, coatings and detergents will be doing good business. In the construction industry, nanotechnology has the potential to improve construction materials, including steel, polymers and concrete. Concrete in particular, which is a complicated, nanoscale structure of hydrates of cement, additives and aggregates is an excellent candidate for nanotechnological manipulation and control of properties. Programming the time-release of chemical admixtures in concrete can provide maximum effectiveness at the construction site, while reinforcing cement binders with nanodiameter fibres and rods can result in higher performance of cementitious materials in general by impeding crack formation and growth.

Nanotechnology can provide tools for understanding basic phenomena and be able to respond to today's challenges. For example, the owner specifications for the Oresund link between Denmark and Sweden required 120 years of service life for the concrete with only maintenance work - no major repair. This is perfectly feasible; recent work has shown that the Byzantine Hagia Sofia in Istanbul has such long life thanks to the self repairing properties of the mortar used almost 15 centuries ago. This opportunity should not be missed by the Construction sector.

To pass from a "macro-centric" to a "nano-centric" system, a vast multidisciplinary knowledge, a strong ability for integration and an attitude to complexity are needed. Researchers need the courage to abandon rigid and pre-determined schemes, and the ability to develop new excellence in research and education, also through new curricula vitae et studiorum.

There are many barriers and challenges. A large critical mass is required in terms of both human and material resources. This implies a new way of co-operation, being more open, reinforced, transparent and verifiable.

5 TOWARDS A EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA

"Technology push" is however not the message to be retained. It should be remembered that the 6th research and innovation Framework Programme of the European Community is characterised by a changing role of EU Research Programmes.

It is based on three clear "political" pillars:

• The "Lisbon" objective, stated in spring 2000: "to help Europe become the most dynamic and most competitive knowledge-based economy within 10 years".

• The "Göteborg" objective, stated in spring 2001, puts sustainable development, i.e. environment, health, economy, employment, at the top of the agenda of all EU activities.

• Finally, the development of a true European Research Area (ERA) is the driving force of the EU research policy. ERA, whose aim is to create conditions for strengthening the coherence of research activities and policies conducted in Europe, offers real new horizons for researchers. Integrating, reinforcing and structuring research efforts at European level is the objective, stimulating industrial investments, thus closing the loop with the "Lisbon" objective. It should be remembered that Europe lags substantially behind its competitors in terms of investment in research. The objective is to reach a level of investment in research in Europe equal to 3% of GDP by 2010.

The new instruments in FP6 will allow better co-ordination and effectiveness of research activities at EU level. Several objectives should be encompassed such as ensuring system competitiveness and sustainability, quality of life, sustainable employment, high quality education, and of course ethical aspects, in an integrated approach at European (even international) level. Research and innovation activities should be jointly present in projects to ensure the quick exploitation of research results.

Education and skill development should receive particular attention in view of the challenge of the "knowledge-based society" and "knowledge-based industries".

Integrated Projects (IPs) will focus on clear and quantifiable objectives. Integration issues should be tackled at least on four aspects:

• Integration of partnership along the value chain for creation of knowledge communities.

• Complementary funding from different sources, private, regional, national, and European.

This involves far-seeing research actions and effective research projects to rapidly spread results into practice. It involves also a strong presence and interaction of innovative enterprises and research organisations, throughout Europe, in research consortia. Such a challenge implies the acceptance of large and complex networks in which companies should accept sharing of knowledge and co-operation, i.e. co-operation in research activities, while continuing to compete in the market place.

Networks of Excellence (NoE) are another response to this need for networking. They will be promoted to assemble EU research capacities and strengthen Science and Technological excellence for the competitiveness of EU industry. Partnership in NoEs will be characterised by participants wishing a progressive and lasting integration of their research capacities, since today they are too fragmented to ensure the efficiency of research required at world level.

Support to Small to Medium-sized Enterprise (SMEs) aspects is key. Europe wide networks are required that give the smaller companies access to new possibilities in product and process technologies, therefore stimulating implementation of paradigm shifts in traditional sectors. At least 15% of the total budget allocated to the priorities of the framework Programme will be dedicated to SMEs. Large possibilities will exist to include high-tech SMEs in consortia, or to consider specific "modules" for SMEs in research projects. The Directorate on industrial research is also launching a specific call for IPs for SMEs focusing on the support to the transformation of the European traditional sectors.

The role of industrial and research associations should be highlighted to diffuse information, stimulate participation, and ensure dissemination and good use of results. (For more information see: www.europa.eu.int.comm.industrial_research)

The overall message is to pursue in the direction of better and more efficient research activities at EU level, to help the transformation of whole sectors of industry.

6 TOWARDS AN "ACTION PLAN"?

An action plan is certainly needed for integrated research activities, but the question remains whether this plan should be oriented towards steady state, decline or growth of the European role? Whatever the focus is, there is a need for a long-term visio. In that sense the future is in our hands, but the absence of an overall strategy would be a key missing element. European and national industrial federations have a key role to play to help in defining this vision.