NTG is a founding member and represented on the board.
The CC UPOB emerged in 1998 from a competition organised by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to establish sustainable networks on various nanotechnology topics. The establishment of the network was supported by BMBF funds in the first few years.
As an administrative base to establish the network structure, the CC UPOB e.V. was founded as registered association. The statutory objectives of the non-profit association in the field of ultra-precise surface processing include linking scientific know-how from multiple fields, promoting science and research, as well as fostering the flow of information among research institutes and industry. Ultimately, the association was founded to contribute to the development of new technologies and the utilisation of technological innovations in Germany within the above-mentioned framework and in the interest of the general public.
Through CC UPOB e.V., the following activities were supported in the first years as well:
– “Student AFM kit”, “Info on standardisation”, financing of feasibility studies on topics of ultra-precise surface processing – within the framework of the third-party funded project AGeNT (“Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Nanotechnologie-Kompetenzzentren”).
– Information events in the area of nanotechnology, including the organisation of a series of public lectures over several years at the Landesmuseum Braunschweig, contact person for the BMBF NanoTruck in Braunschweig.
With the termination of BMBF funding, the focus was concentrated, in response to the members’ requests, on the:
- Carrying out comparative measurements on transfer standards for aspherical characterisation.
- Organisation of workshops and high-level expert meetings to discuss progress in ultra-precision surface processing and measurement technology, with a focus on aspherical measurement technology
- Organisation of trade fair presentations to promote the dialogue between research and industry
Today, the CC UPOB e.V. is a solely member-financed association of practitioners, developers and researchers in the field of ultra-precision surface processing. Through the events regularly organised over the last 25 years on topics of manufacturing and metrology, through the meetings at the members and the appearances (UPOB joint stand) at important trade fairs such as LASER in Munich or OPTATEC in Frankfurt on the topic of ultra-precise surface processing, the competence centre is a vibrant association with currently 34 members predominantly from the SME sector. The CC UPOB e.V. office is located at the PTB in Braunschweig. Following the underlying philosophy of the BMBF competition in 1998, the CC UPOB e.V. has been operating as a sustainable, self-supporting network structure for 25 years (www.upob.de).
During the anniversary year, the activities of CC UPOB e.V. include the 13th High Level Expert Meeting of CC UPOB, which was held in Wetzlar on 28/29 March 2023, and the participation with a joint stand at the LASER trade fair, from 27-30 June.
Thematically, the CC UPOB e.V. will continue to be guided by the contributions and impulses of its members, who support the association and keep it alive.