From Atoms to Chips: International Experts Gather at INL to Drive Innovation in Functional Materials
4-6 NOV | FUNLAYERS provided a unique opportunity for global experts to explore the frontier of functional layered materials. The event highlighted the latest breakthroughs in the field and facilitated cross-disciplinary collaborations that are set to drive future innovations in technology.
The International Conference on Layered Materials and Devices: From Atoms to Chips!, held at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory - INL, provided a timely forum for advancing research in functional layered materials. The event brought together leading scientists, technologists, industry experts, and early-career researchers to discuss the latest developments in a field that bridges quantum materials, van der Waals heterostructures, and emerging device concepts.
Over three days, participants from renowned universities, major research centres, and industrial laboratories exchanged insights into the synthesis, characterisation, and integration of layered materials into real-world technologies. Beyond the scientific presentations, the meeting offered a vibrant setting for collaboration and the exchange of ideas across disciplines.
According to Joaquín Fernández-Rossier, FUNLAYERS coordinator, the value of such gatherings extends well beyond the event itself:
Conferences like this have an immediate impact by bringing peers together and promoting cross-fertilisation of ideas. Their real value, however, lies in the long-term connections they create — collaborations and exchanges that can last for decades. We are giving each other feedback on the work we are doing, and it’s very useful to improve and promote collaborations.
Radha Boya from the University of Manchester, one of the invited speakers, highlighted the conference’s interdisciplinary nature:
It’s an interesting gathering of diverse speakers from universities, central facilities, and industry. It’s a nice mix of interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary talks that lead to valuable discussions. As the name goes, it’s quite a fun gathering.
The conference illustrated how FUNLAYERS continues to strengthen the scientific networks underpinning Europe’s layered-materials community. By connecting theoretical and experimental perspectives, and linking fundamental science with technological innovation, the event reinforced the project’s long-term goal: to catalyse collaboration and discovery across the layered-materials landscape.
