The TUM Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology nanoTUM at the Technische Universität München was founded in 2004 to coordinate research and teaching/education in the field of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology including the related and adjacent fields of material and bio/life science across different faculties.

Particularly in the field of Nanotechnology, the research fields are not classified by only one faculty anymore. Therefore, a communication platform which is placed above and independent from the faculties is desirable in order to organise interdisciplinary research fields efficiently.

To achieve a coordination/structuring of the Nanoscience research groups spread in most faculties of the TUM, nanoTUM was founded on initiative of the TU president Prof. Dr. W. Herrmann. It is organised as virtual institute with more than 40 joining groups from several faculties and central institutes as members. As interdisciplinary “umbrella” institute it shall position all activities in the field of Nanotechnology more efficiently. Synergetic effects will be developed by taking advantage of the creation of a communication platform. Thus, internal as well as external collaboration projects with partners from university or industry are much easier to be initiated. In addition, the nanoTUM is a central contact address for larger research projects e.g. for the application and coordination of national DFG funded “Sonderforschungsbereichen” or EU projects.

The aim of the nanoTUM is not only to support fundamental research. By focussing on possible applications the research results are transferred fast to technical realisation. Therefore, a close integration of fundamental and applied research is required, especially when collaborations with industrial partners are involved.

Six faculties and four central institutes are integrated in the nanoTUM. The members are:

• Faculty of Chemistry
• Faculty of Physics
• Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
• Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Faculty of Life and Food Science “Ernährung, Landnutzung und Umwelt“ at the research centre Weihenstephan (WZW)
• Faculty of Informatics and Computational Science
• Neue Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Garching (FRM2)
• Walter-Schottky-Institut (WSI)
• Zentralinstitut für Medizintechnik (IMETUM)
• The Catalysis Research Centre (CRC)
• Walther-Meißner-Institut (WMI), an institute of the Bavarian Academy of Science which is associated with the TUM

Embedded in the nanoTUM is the Institute of Self-organised Systems and Molecular Machines which works also interdisciplinary.

Some research groups and departments in the nanoTUM are concomitant members in the cluster of Excellence “Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM)”. In such way a cross-linking to the nanotechnology activities in the greater Munich area is provided.