Canada Gains New Nanotechnology Research and Product Development Center

July 20, 2009
Canada’s National Institute for Nanotechnology will soon be home to a new electron microscopy research and product development center.

The Hitachi Electron Microscopy Products Development Centre (HEMiC) at the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) in Edmonton, Alberta, is a $14 million project supported the Canadian and Alberta governments, the University of Alberta and Hitachi High Technologies Inc.

Through this research and development collaboration and the involvement of Hitachi High Technologies’ product development and technical sales expertise, commercialization of NINT microscope innovations is expected to be accelerated. International project teams already are working collaboratively towards new innovations in electron microscopy.

One of the center’s first projects will evaluate and test the world’s sharpest electron emitter, developed by the Molecular Scale Devices group at NINT for use as an electron source in electron microscopes.

“Alberta’s strength in nanotechnologies, and the province’s coordinated strategy for nanotechnology made our decision to seek a partnership here easy,” said John Cole, president of Hitachi High-Technologies, Canada Inc.

The new center will house three new electron microscopes valued at $7 million, including the first-ever Hitachi environmental transmission electron microscope Model H-9500 in operation outside of Japan.

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About the Author

Laura Walter

Laura Walter was formerly senior editor of EHS Today. She is a subject matter expert in EHS compliance and government issues and has covered a variety of topics relating to occupational safety and health. Her writing has earned awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE), the Trade Association Business Publications International (TABPI) and APEX Awards for Publication Excellence. Her debut novel, Body of Stars (Dutton) was published in 2021.

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