Bangalore March 5 2020: The 11th Edition of Bengaluru India Nano which witnessed around 3000 footfalls over two days, drew to a close  this week.
The conference, which was attended by 750 delegates had 40 speakers deliberated across 15 sessions witnessed thought provoking talks by eminent scientists and professors on various aspects of nanotechnology and nano sciences including agriculture, medicine, manufacturing, pollution and food processing. All speakers echoed the common sentiment that nanotechnology is poised to be the next big thing in the future. The final day also witnessed the presentation of awards in two categories namely Poster Awards and NanoSparX Awards. The poster awards provided a unique opportunity for scientists, technocrats and research scholars to share their innovations and research in nano science and nanotechnology to the industry, research centres and potential investors. The NanoSparX awards gave students an opportunity to present innovative solutions based on nanotechnology to solve social problems. Bengaluru India Nano witnessed international participation from Germany, USA, Sweden, Spain, Finland, Korea, New Zealand and Brazil.
The NanoSparX awards were presented to  two winners who  will be given a cash prize, mentorship and funding opportunities to take their ideas to the next stage. Mentorship will be imparted by IISC, Bengaluru faculty, Prof. Rudra Pratap, Prof. Akshay Naik, Prof. Prosenjit Sen andProf. Chandorkar.. The winning duo:
Sharad Kumar Yadav - IIT Madras for Blue Energy Generator to create a better level of renewable energy using membrane technology and Pratap Kumar C - Jyothy Institute of Technology for innovative multi-functional nano-coatings for better sanitation and water management.
The Malhotra Weikfield Foundation NanoScience Fellowship Awards was presented to Mr. Tathagata Paul Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, Mr. Sumit Saha, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, Mr. Vikash Kumar Ravi, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, Mr. Mohd. Monis Ayyub, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru, and Ms. Nadeema Ayasha, National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune.
The Karnataka DST Nanoscience Fellowship Award was presented to Mr. Manas Ranjan Sahu Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. Exhibitor Awards in the category Interactive & Best Managed was won by Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Exhibitor Awards in the category ‘Content & Information’ was won by Hind High Vacuum Company Pvt. Ltd and Exhibitor Awards in the category ‘Innovative Display’ was won by Saveer Matrixnano – Tekna Inc.
The prestigious Prof. C.N.R Rao Bengaluru INDIA NANO Science Award 2020 was awarded to Prof. P.S. Anil Kumar, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru for his outstanding contribution to nanotechnology. The Bengaluru India Nano Innovation Award was presented to Dr. Sandip Patil, Founder Director, E-Spin Nanotech, Kanpur.