What MCN does

Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN) is an Australian micro and nanofabrication user facility headquartered at 151 Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria, operating as the Victorian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF). Founded in 2010 and hosted by Monash University, MCN is governed by a consortium of seven institutions — Monash University, University of Melbourne, Deakin University, La Trobe University, Swinburne University of Technology, RMIT University, and CSIRO — and is financially supported by the Australian Government through NCRIS and by the Victorian Government. The facility serves publicly funded Australian researchers, industry clients, startups, and supervised undergraduate students, providing access to nanofabrication instrumentation that would otherwise require prohibitive capital investment by individual institutions.

MCN's core technical offering spans lithography, thin film deposition, etching, characterisation, packaging, and 3D printing (Objet Eden 260V), housed within class 10,000 and class 100 cleanroom spaces. A distinguishing capability is its integrated biocapabilities stack, comprising a reconfigurable biochemistry laboratory (scanning ion conductance microscope, zeta sizer, microarrayer, UV/VIS spectrophotometer, etc.) and a PC2 laboratory for risk group 2 micro-organism and rDNA work. The facility also offers partnered access to Swinburne University's Bioengineering Interface Hub for surface-engineering workflows (plasma polymerisation, Langmuir-Blodgett coatings, dip-pen nanolithography, quartz crystal microbalance). Case-study domains span energy, biosensors, drug delivery, MEMS, micro/nanofluidics, optics, and soft materials. Operations are certified to ISO 9001, ISO 45001, and My Green Lab Gold Standard.

MCN generates revenue through a tiered, usage-based pricing model (flagship plus tiers 1-4) with separate publicly funded researcher and industry rate cards, supplemented by staff-service fees for clients who engage MCN engineers to perform work on their behalf, and recurring on-site residency packages (currently discounted 40% for eligible startups). Distribution is direct: users register via a project inquiry form, attend a one-hour consultation, complete fortnightly new-user inductions, and schedule instrument time. The organisation markets through its website, quarterly newsletter, the Nanofabulous Seminar Series, specialised training events (biosafety, HF acid, first aid), and the joint MSE-MCN Distinguished Seminars with Monash School of Engineering. MCN is a non-listed private research infrastructure entity (no IPO, no disclosed funding rounds, no M&A) with the ANFF acting as its parent entity within the national research framework.

Name

MCN

Legal name

Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication

Website

https://nanomelbourne.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MCN is a Melbourne-based nanofabrication user facility operating as the Victorian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility, offering cleanroom-based lithography, thin films, etching, 3D printing, and bio-nano services to Australian academic researchers, industry clients, and startups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nanofabrication Research Infrastructure Services

NAICS

Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing (334412)

SIC

Printed Circuit Boards (3672)

akta.pro primary industry

PCB Assembly (PCBA/EMS) (HDAHAOAI)

Keywords

• Nanofabrication services
• Microfabrication cleanroom
• Thin film deposition
• Lithography services
• Nanotechnology research

Headquarters

HQ city

Clayton

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Facility Access and Instrument Usage Fees: Tiered pricing structure with five categories (flagship, tier 1, tier 2, tier 3, tier 4) based on instrument complexity. Rates differ for publicly funded Australian researchers versus industry clients. Prepaid account discounts available.
2. Staff Service Fees: Users can engage MCN staff members to perform work on their behalf. Staff time is charged at either academic or industry rates, additional to instrument usage charges.
3. Residency Packages: On-site residency packages available for clients wishing to base themselves at MCN for specific projects. Currently offering 40% discount for eligible startups.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MCN is an open-access micro and nanofabrication user facility providing lithography, thin film deposition, etching, characterisation, packaging, 3D printing, biocapabilities, and access to class 10,000 and class 100 cleanrooms. Users register, complete an induction, then either operate equipment themselves or engage MCN staff to perform the work at academic or industry rates. The facility operates as the Victorian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility, serving publicly funded Australian researchers and industry clients from concept through to prototype.

Product overview

Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN) is a micro/nanofabrication facility and a proud member of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF). It provides a comprehensive suite of nanofabrication services including lithography, thin film deposition, characterisation, packaging, etching, and 3D printing under one roof. The facility houses biocapabilities with a reconfigurable biochemistry laboratory and PC2 laboratory for biological research. Key infrastructure includes class 10,000 and class 100 cleanroom spaces, a world-class microscopy laboratory, and partnered access to the Swinburne Bioengineering Interface Hub. MCN also offers residency programs for extended project engagement, with discounted rates for startups. The facility serves both publicly funded Australian researchers and industry clients, providing access to instrumentation from concept through to prototype.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lithography Services Lithography services for micro and nanofabrication patterning processes, available to Australian academics and industry clients through instrument access or staff-performed work.
• Thin Film Deposition Thin film deposition services for creating uniform coatings at the nanoscale, used by researchers and industry clients for device fabrication and materials research.
• Etching Services Etching services for pattern transfer in nanofabrication processes, available to academic and industry users.
• Characterisation Services Characterisation services for analysing and measuring nanoscale materials and devices, supporting both research and industry development projects.
• Packaging Services Packaging services for micro and nanoscale devices, used by researchers and industry clients to complete device fabrication workflows.
• 3D Printing Services 3D printing services using the Objet Eden 260V system with various polymer materials including biocompatible MEDGIO resin, producing prototypes up to 250x250x200mm with 50µm XY and 16µm Z resolution.
• Biocapabilities Comprehensive biocapability offering combining the reconfigurable biochemistry laboratory and the PC2 (Physical Containment Level 2) laboratory for biological and chemical analysis of fabricated devices, including risk group 2 micro-organism and rDNA research.
• Cleanroom Facility Access Access to class 10,000 and class 100 cleanroom spaces housing nanofabrication instrumentation, available to trained and inducted users on a usage-based pricing model.
• Residency Programs On-site residency packages for clients wishing to base themselves at MCN for specific projects, currently offered with a 40% discount for eligible startups.
• Staff Service Work Engagement of MCN staff to perform fabrication or analysis work on behalf of clients at academic or industry rates, charged in addition to instrument usage fees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Projects can move from concept through to prototype in a single location

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCN is a proud member of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF), a national research infrastructure network. MCN serves as the Victorian Node of the ANFF.
• Monash UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonash University hosts MCN and is a key governance partner. The facility is located on Monash campus at 151 Wellington Road, Clayton.
• University of MelbournecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Melbourne is a governance partner in the MCN network.
• Deakin UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeakin University is a governance partner in the MCN network.
• La Trobe UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Trobe University is a governance partner in the MCN network.
• Swinburne University of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwinburne University of Technology is a governance partner and provides access to the Biointerface Engineering Hub for MCN users.
• RMIT UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRMIT University is a governance partner in the MCN network.
• CSIROcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSIRO is a governance partner in the MCN network.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IMEC: World-leading independent micro/nanoelectronics R&D hub in Belgium operating shared cleanroom infrastructure for academic and industry users; directly comparable as a multi-user nanofabrication facility with similar lithography, deposition and packaging process flows.
• Center for Nanoscale Systems (CNS), Harvard: Harvard's shared nanofabrication and imaging user facility offering class-100 cleanroom lithography, deposition, etching and characterisation to academic and external industry users on a fee-for-service model.
• CMC Microsystems: Canadian not-for-profit facilitator that provides academic and industry clients with access to micro/nanofabrication, design tools and prototyping services; mirrors MCN's role as a national intermediary for nanotech R&D access.
• CEA-Leti: French government-backed micro/nanotechnology research institute operating 8" and 12" cleanrooms and offering process integration, lithography, 3D integration and bio-MEMS services; matches MCN's mix of sovereign funding, multi-process offering and academic+industry access model.
• Cornell NanoScale Facility (CNF): US academic user facility offering lithography, thin-film deposition, etching, packaging and 3D printing through tiered academic/industry pricing; highly comparable to MCN in scope of processes, dual user base and operator-assisted service model.
• Center for Functional Nanomaterials (Brookhaven National Laboratory): US DOE-funded user facility offering nanofabrication, lithography, deposition, bio capabilities and microscopy to external scientists, with a similar mission of providing open access to capital-intensive nano-research infrastructure.
• Stanford Nanofabrication Facility (SNF): Stanford-hosted cleanroom open to academic and industry users with lithography, deposition and characterisation equipment; analogous to MCN's role as a university-anchored regional nanofab node with shared user access.

Emerging players

• Eurofins EAG Laboratories: Commercial materials characterisation, failure-analysis and microelectronics lab-services provider; overlaps with MCN's characterisation and packaging service line as a paid-for external nanofab-adjacent service offering for industry clients.

Broad incumbents

• Fraunhofer Group for Microelectronics: Federated network of Fraunhofer institutes operating shared nanofab and microsystem cleanrooms across Germany on a contract-research basis; broader and more diversified than MCN but overlapping as a publicly-funded multi-user nanofab platform.

Others

• Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF): The parent national network of which MCN is the Victorian Node; ANFF coordinates the eight-node network and shares governance, branding and NCRIS funding flows, making it the closest upstream/downstream counterpart to MCN's operating model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nanomelb

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MCN