Seit 2005

Swiss Nano-Cube

Swiss Nano-Cube is the national knowledge and education platform for micro and nanotechnology. It adresses teachers and students from vocational schools, secondary schools as well as higher professional schools. Swiss Nano-Cube is a modularly structured information and education platform. It integrates the following elements:

  • Web-based educational platform: Interactive database for didactically worked up information, learning materials and knowledge from the area of micro- and nanotechnologies, including e-learning tools, forums for exchange, newsletters and other demand-oriented educational materials. More
  • Practice oriented modules for education and advanced training: Target-group-specific and didactically processed educational modules for vocational schools, secondary schools and higher professional schools, as well as teacher training courses (Teach Nano). The content will be grouped by topic and method of learning.
  • Further training courses: Further training offer for teacher. Since 2009 over 250 teacher visited the further traininig courses. More

Target groups

Swiss Nano-Cube adresses teachers and students from vocational schools, secondary schools as well as higher professional schools. In addition, interested professional institutions as well as companies can access all information offers free of charge. Those are also available in French and Italian.

Importance of Swiss Nano-Cube for Switzerland

Micro- and nanotechnologies (M&NT) are widely regarded as important future technologies and already serve as a basis for many innovative products and applications today. Despite the increasing importance of M&NT for the research and development site of Switzerland, however, there are only very few practical teaching aids and learning materials for the secondary level II available to date.

M&NT at Swiss schools currently do not enjoy the status they observe according to experts and teachers of natural sciences. This is the result of a study to determine the demand for such materials among Swiss teachers, education experts and professional organisations in autumn 2008.

Target of Swiss Nano-Cube

The aim of Swiss Nano-Cube is to sensitise and prepare teacher and scholars for the emerging importance of nanotechnologies in professional life. Thus, teacher should be supplied with the necessary materials for an adequate and interessting education.

Who is Behind Swiss Nano-Cube?

The Innovation Society Ltd. (St.Gallen) and the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (Berne) are in charge of the management and coordination of “Swiss Nano-Cube”. The Swiss Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET) in the context of the promotion of the Swiss professional education provides the start-up funding for “Swiss Nano-Cube”.  In addition, Swiss Nano-Cube is financed by the UBS Foundation for Social Issues and Education, by the The Federal Office for the Environment FOEN and by the Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG.

More information about Swiss Nano-Cube you can retrieve by visiting the project website www.swissnanocube.ch.