Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center

What Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center does

The Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) is a research and education center within Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark, founded in 2002 by Professor Flemming Besenbacher. It operates across five strategic research areas — Nanomaterials; Interfaces and Catalysis; Nanomedicine; Synthetic Biology; and Nanofood — supported by an integrated core-facility platform that includes a clean-room nanofabrication suite, chemical synthesis and cell laboratories, and a nanocharacterisation platform spanning microscopy, diffraction, and spectroscopy techniques. iNANO also hosts the Danish Center for Ultrahigh-Field NMR Spectroscopy, which operates the largest NMR magnet in Northern Europe and serves as a Nordic-Baltic magnet platform for academic and industrial users. The center relocated to the purpose-built iNANO House at Gustav Wieds Vej 14 in 2012, collocating collaborating research groups and expanding infrastructure.

iNANO's offerings are organized around three pillars: research, education, and knowledge transfer. Education is delivered through a multidisciplinary BSc and MSc program in Nanoscience and the iNANOschool PhD program, with the staff directory listing more than 50 PhD students alongside professors, postdocs, laboratory technicians, and administrative staff. iNANO researchers publish over 300 peer-reviewed papers per year and serve as principal investigators on multiple Centers of Excellence, infrastructure, networking, innovation, and career grants. Recent productized outputs include a virus-inspired DNA needle for intracellular molecular delivery (May 2026), an ML-augmented nanoparticle analysis tool from the DISORDER group, and an aptamer-plus-machine-learning biosensing platform from the Kjems group for the Nanofood program.

The business model is institutional rather than commercial. Funding flows from Aarhus University's core budget, Danish research councils, the Villum Foundation, Innovation Fund Denmark, and competitive grants; commercial revenue is a marginal contributor generated through industry collaboration, sponsored research, and the spin-out and licensing pathway administered via Aarhus University's innovation hub The Kitchen and the AU Launch fund (exemplified by the PlasmoGlass smart-window spin-out, June 2026). Knowledge transfer is also delivered through industrial PhD placements co-funded by Innovation Fund Denmark (e.g., Andreas Møllebjerg's collaboration with Novozymes) and through a Nordic-Baltic NMR user program. Customers and stakeholders are therefore primarily Danish and Nordic industry partners, BSc/MSc/PhD students, academic collaborators, and external NMR facility users rather than commercial buyers of a discrete product.

Name

Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center

Legal name

Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO)

Website

https://inano.au.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) is an academic research and education center within Aarhus University in Denmark, conducting multidisciplinary nanoscience research across Nanomaterials, Interfaces and Catalysis, Nanomedicine, Synthetic Biology, and Nanofood, and educating scientists through BSc, MSc, and iNANOschool PhD programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nanoscience Research and Education

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715)

akta.pro primary industry

Institutes of Technology (IoT / Technical Universities) (EDAHAEAC)

Keywords

• Interdisciplinary nanoscience research
• Nanoscience education programs
• Ultrahigh-field NMR spectroscopy
• Nanofabrication clean-room facilities
• Industry knowledge transfer

Headquarters

HQ city

Aarhus

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Public research and education funding: iNANO operates as a non-commercial academic center embedded in Aarhus University, funded through public university budgets (Aarhus University), Danish research council grants, foundations (e.g., Villum Foundation), and competitive research grants (Centers of Excellence, infrastructure, networking, innovation, career grants). Revenue is institutional and grant-based rather than product-driven.
2. Industry collaboration and knowledge transfer: Knowledge transfer to Danish industry through networking activities, innovation projects, industrial PhD programs (e.g., with Novozymes), patents, and spin-outs. Industry partners access facilities via dedicated collaboration programs.
3. Licensing of inventions and spin-outs: Commercial translation via spin-out companies (e.g., PlasmoGlass) and licensing of iNANO inventions, supported by AU Launch funding and industry transfer mechanisms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

iNANO is an academic research and education center at Aarhus University that conducts interdisciplinary nanoscience research across five strategic areas (Nanomaterials; Interfaces and Catalysis; Nanomedicine; Synthetic Biology; Nanofood) and educates nanoscientists through BSc, MSc, and PhD programs (iNANOschool). It provides industry collaboration, sponsored research, and access to advanced facilities including the Danish Center for Ultrahigh-Field NMR Spectroscopy (largest NMR magnet in Northern Europe), clean-room nanofabrication, cell laboratories, and integrated nanocharacterisation infrastructure.

Product overview

Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) at Aarhus University is an academic research and education center, not a single commercial product or a platform-plus-modules software offering. Its portfolio is organized around five key strategic Research Areas (Nanomaterials, Interfaces and Catalysis, Nanomedicine, Synthetic Biology, and Nanofood) supported by state-of-the-art core facilities such as the Danish Center for Ultrahigh-Field NMR Spectroscopy. Education offerings comprise the multidisciplinary BSc and MSc Program in Nanoscience and the iNANOschool PhD programme. Knowledge transfer is delivered through industry collaboration with partners such as Novozymes, patent and spinout activity (e.g., PlasmoGlass), and community events including the iNANO Annual Meeting, Distinguished iNANO Lectures, and Specialized iNANO Lectures. The "products" listed below therefore represent iNANO's research programs, education programmes, core facilities, and spinouts rather than a unified software product line.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iNANO Alumni Network: Alumni community for former students, PhDs, and staff of the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center.
• iNANOschool
• iNANO Challenge Programme

Products and services

• BSc and MSc Program in Nanoscience Multidisciplinary undergraduate and graduate degree programme in Nanoscience hosted by iNANO at Aarhus University, providing cross-disciplinary foundations across chemistry, physics, biology, and molecular biology for prospective BSc and MSc students.
• iNANOschool (PhD programme in Nanoscience) Doctoral school in nanoscience providing PhD-level research training in collaboration with faculties of Natural Sciences, Technical Sciences, and Health at Aarhus University; administered under the Aarhus University Graduate School of Science and Technology programme in Nanoscience.
• Danish Center for Ultrahigh-Field NMR Spectroscopy (facility access) National NMR center hosted by iNANO that provides access to the largest NMR magnet in Northern Europe and additional state-of-the-art NMR equipment for external academic and industrial partners across molecular biology to materials science, with established Nordic-Baltic reach.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ peer-reviewed papers published per year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Aarhus UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartneriNANO is a research and education center within Aarhus University, collaborating with multiple faculties (Natural Sciences, Technical Sciences, Health). The center is hosted at Aarhus University with shared governance and infrastructure. CVR no: 31119103.
• NovozymescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial PhD collaboration with iNANO postdoc Andreas Møllebjerg, featured in Innovation Fund Denmark video on bridging academic research and industry. Demonstrates long-running industry-academia partnership model.
• The Kitchen (Aarhus University)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAU innovation hub that first published stories on iNANO spinouts (PlasmoGlass) and supports commercial translation of iNANO inventions.
• McGill University (Prof. Hanadi Sleiman)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHanadi Sleiman (McGill University, Canada) featured as invited Distinguished iNANO Lecture speaker at iNANO Annual Meeting 2026 on 27 May 2026.
• Eindhoven University of Technology (Prof. Willem Mulder)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWillem Mulder (Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands) featured as invited Distinguished iNANO Lecture speaker at iNANO Annual Meeting 2026 on 27 May 2026.
• Chalmers University of Technology (Prof. Fredrik Höök)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFredrik Höök (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden) featured as invited Distinguished iNANO Lecture speaker at iNANO Annual Meeting 2026 on 27 May 2026.
• University of the Basque Country (Prof. Haritz Sardon)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHaritz Sardon (University of the Basque Country, Spain / BERC-POLYMAT) featured as invited speaker on chemical recycling of plastics at iNANO Annual Meeting 2026 on 27 May 2026.
• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Prof. Zhengtang (Tom) Luo)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Zhengtang (Tom) Luo (Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, HKUST, China) featured as Distinguished iNANO Lecture speaker on 2D transition metal dichalcogenides.
• University of Fribourg (Prof. Guillermo Acuna)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Guillermo Acuna (Department of Physics, University of Fribourg) featured as invited iNANO Lecture speaker on DNA‑origami assembled dielectric and UV‑plasmonic nanoantennas (June 2026).
• Imperial College London (Prof. Julia Gorelik)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Julia Gorelik (Imperial College London, National Heart & Lung Institute) delivered Distinguished iNANO Lecture on scanning ion conductance microscopy of cardiomyocytes on 20 March 2026.
• Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Prof. Dieter Braun)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Dieter Braun (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany) delivered Distinguished iNANO Lecture on 'Twelve Dogmas on the Origin of Life' on 13 March 2026.
• Grundfos A/SminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLead Sustainable Materials Specialist PhD Jacob Arnbjerg delivered a guest lecture on 'Sustainable materials: In search of the triple bottom line' at iNANO AUD on 17 April.
• University of Duisburg-Essen (Prof. Barbara Sacca)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Barbara Sacca (Center for Medical Biotechnology, University of Duisburg-Essen) delivered Specialized iNANO Lecture on 'Multivalent ligand-protein interactions in DNA-confined spaces' on 27 March 2026.
• Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering (Harvard)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Steven Perrault and Johannes Woehrstein of Wyss Institute have delivered past Specialized iNANO Lectures on DNA nanotechnology and DNA-PAINT, hosted by Prof. Kurt Gothelf.
• University of Leeds (Prof. Sheena E. Radford)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Sheena E. Radford (Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds) delivered past Distinguished iNANO Lecture on protein misfolding (2014), hosted by Prof. Daniel Otzen.
• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Hamburg (Dr. Thomas Schneider)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Thomas Schneider (EMBL Hamburg, Germany) delivered past Specialized iNANO Lecture on macromolecular crystallography at PETRA III synchrotrons.
• MAX IV Laboratory (Lund University)coreTechnology or IntegrationDirector Christoph Quitmann delivered a Specialized iNANO Lecture on MAX IV synchrotron infrastructure; iNANO faculty access MAX IV for SAXS and other nanocharacterisation workflows.
• Aarhus University - Department of Clinical Medicine (Prof. Peter Nejsum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternal Aarhus University partnership: Prof. Peter Nejsum (Department of Clinical Medicine) delivered Distinguished iNANO Lecture on parasite-derived extracellular vesicles, organized by Associate Professor Ken Howard (iNANO).
• Aarhus University - iMAT / Department of Biological and Chemical EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternal Aarhus University partnership: iMAT hosts the AU Materials Seminar Day 2026 (21 April at AIAS Høegh-Guldbergs Gade). Co-organizes cross-departmental materials research seminars.
• iNANO Industrial PartnerscoreOthersiNANO maintains a dedicated Industrial Partners page and program for collaboration with Danish industry; supports technology transfer, industrial PhDs, and access to facilities.
• iNANO Academic PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartneriNANO collaborates with departments across Aarhus University's Faculty of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Technical Sciences, and Faculty of Health, as well as national and international research groups.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DTU Nanolab: National nanofabrication and characterization facility at the Technical University of Denmark, the closest Danish peer to iNANO. Operates clean-room and electron microscopy infrastructure for academic and industrial users, directly comparable in mission, customer base, and technology stack.
• NanoLund: Large interdisciplinary nanoscience center at Lund University, Sweden. Operates across nanomaterials, nanobioscience, and nanoelectronics with similar strategic area structure, education pipeline, and Nordic industrial partnership model as iNANO.
• Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Delft: Leading nanoscience institute at TU Delft operating across quantum nanoscience, bionanoscience, and nanodevices. Highly comparable in academic-center structure, multidisciplinary research, and education mission.
• Center for NanoScience (CeNS), LMU Munich: Interdisciplinary nanoscience research center at LMU Munich covering physics, chemistry, and biology of nanostructures. Comparable multidisciplinary model, education programs, and event/conference series similar to iNANO's lecture series.
• Binnig and Rohrer Nanotechnology Center: Joint ETH Zurich / IBM Research nanofabrication center operating clean-room and characterization infrastructure for academic and industrial users. Directly comparable in clean-room/nanocharacterization mission and facility-access revenue model.

Broad incumbents

• Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering: Harvard-affiliated research institute focused on bio-inspired engineering and translational nanotech/medical devices. Larger and better funded than iNANO, but a benchmark for academic-to-translational pipeline design and has featured iNANO faculty in joint lectures.
• International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN), Northwestern: Major US-based nanoscience consortium at Northwestern University spanning 200+ faculty. Broader in scale and funding than iNANO, but a benchmark for academic nanoscience institute structure, spinout generation, and industry collaboration programs.

Regional players

• Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research: Leading Max Planck Institute focused on polymer and interfacial science with significant overlap to iNANO's Interfaces & Catalysis and Nanomaterials areas. Comparable in scale and operates with similar public-research funding model in continental Europe.
• Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen: Major Danish physics institute with nanoscience and condensed matter physics groups. National Danish peer in nanoscience research and a comparator for Danish public-university funding dynamics and PhD pipeline scale.

Emerging players

• MAX IV Laboratory: Swedish synchrotron facility at Lund University providing advanced nanocharacterisation (SAXS, spectroscopy) that iNANO faculty routinely access via partnership. Comparable as a Nordic facility peer serving overlapping materials and structural biology users.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/explore/tags/aunanoscience
• Xx.com/inano_aarhusuni
• Facebookfacebook.com/iNANO.AU

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center