The IMN MacroNano^® is a cross- faculty scientific institute of the TU Ilmenau.
The institute’s goal is to

• Intensify interdisciplinary research in the field of micro- and nanotechnologies,  from basic research to practical application,
• Increase knowledge transfer through research projects, in co-operation with partners from science and industry and
• Continuously extend research activities and knowledge both within the institute itself and among our scientific partners.

To this end, 39 departments and next-generation groups from the faculties of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, as well as Computer Science and Automation at the TU Ilmenau.
This broad spectrum acts as a catalyst for both research and teaching. Our basic- and application-oriented researchers provide the impetus for successful implementation of numerous innovative approaches to microsystems.

 In future research at the IMN MacroNano^®, we have special opportunities due to our wide range of fundamental knowledge in microsystems technology and in nano­technology. Because the two fields are both cross-application technologies, they have until now  frequently been regarded as closely related disciplines. However, whereas microsystems technology has already achieved a high level of saturation and application, nanotechnology is still strictly limited to basic research. The frequently quoted potential for the industrial application of nanotechnology may be realised if it is linked with microsystems technology in a step-by-step approach. The possibilities for the “macro“ world inherent in the features of nanostructures may be explored through the integration of nanotechnologies in microsystems – the so-called micro-nano integration. Numerous research projects at the IMN MacroNano^® have already dealt with subdomains of the macro-nano integration. The coupling of these cross-application technologies is crucial for all ranges of application in order to realise new system concepts.