The nanoworld: Chances and challenges

We are on the verge of a new scientific and technological era, the standard of which is the nanometer. Initially sustained by progress made in miniaturization, this new development will focus on assembling functional units of increasing complexity out of tiny building blocks. The chances and challenges of this new age are how to best exploit the new possibilities engendered by the nanometer dimensions, to interface the nano- with the macro-world, as well as how to develop new methods and concepts for handling large numbers of nano-objects in order to solve complex problems for a sustainable development.