The project beyond-nano is proposing the establishment of a research infrastructure seamlessly integrated with the best skills of southern Italy CNR’s structures in the field of advanced materials and nanotechnology. The structures involved are: Institute of Microelectronics and Microsystems of Catania , Institute of Nanoscience of Lecce , Institute for Chemical-Physical Processes of Cosenza, Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers and the Institute for Composite and Biomedical Materials of Naples. The infrastructure is equipped with instrumentation to the state of the art for the manufacture of nanostructured innovative materials, their structural and optical characterization, the nano-processing and simulation by parallel-computing. The fields of application will be initially focused in the strategic areas of energetics, safety and health.

The expansion is planned in such a way as to foster close links with two other facilities included in the " Roadmap of the Italian Research Infrastructures of Pan-European interest " : the light source synchrotron ELETTRA and the European Laboratory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy (LENS) as well as with the ESFRI infrastructure PRACE . The infrastructure is a candidate to play a leading role in the European network of centers active in the field of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, relying on direct connections with the Italian University Nanoelectronics Team ( IUNET ), the LETI in Grenoble , the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa, etc. Great importance is given to public-private interaction that aims at the establishment of a large research infrastructure with nodes in important technological districts, such as District "Micro-Nanosystems " in Sicily, the DHITECH in Puglia and IMAST in Campania. The relationship with the industry is also relevant for the presence of one of the nodes of the infrastructure at the headquarters of STMicroelectronics, a major international player in the field of microelectronics and photovoltaics (thanks to the joint-venture with Enel Green Power and Sharp). Beyond- Nano will be connected with the European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council (ENIAC) and the European Roadmap for Photonic and Nanotechnologies through initiatives currently underway in the field of photovoltaics , electronics for the efficient management of power and lighting.