Essential for collaboration Exchange of ideas at the Annual Event reer category. As a physicist, Zardo received the award for her and Nano-Tech Apéro contributions to the methodology of characterizing nanoscale materials and the consequent discovery of their new functional properties. Regular events are essential for researchers from di昀昀erent re- Professor Christoph Gerber received the Albert Einstein search institutions to develop new ideas for projects and col- World Award of Science 2023. He was awarded this prize by the laborate e昀昀ectively. Each year since the SNI was founded, its World Cultural Council in recognition of the fundamental na- management has therefore organized the Annual Event for all ture and broad applicability of his research in nanoscale science. members of the network. In 2023, the event was held in the Professor Dominik Zumbühl was elected as an American Canton of Aargau for the 昀椀rst time, speci昀椀cally at Lake Hallwil. Physical Society Fellow in 2023 in recognition of his quantum Whereas all researchers from the network can present their transport experiments in semiconductor nanostructures at low work at the Annual Event, the focus at the annual Nano-Tech temperature, which sought to investigate coherence, spins and Apéro is on applied research. In 2023, this event was held at spin-orbit coupling. Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area Allschwil. In addition Professor Marek Basler from the Biozentrum of the Univer- to the fascinating talks, visitors also enjoyed guided tours of sity of Basel was elected as a member of the prestigious Euro- ELDICO Scienti昀椀c, a start-up that developed within the SNI net- pean Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). work, and of the neighboring Swiss Tropical and Public Health Professor Jonathan de Roo was awarded an SNSF Starting Institute (Swiss TPH). Grant in 2023 to support his research into recyclable sponges Video of Annual Event: https://youtu.be/f4HHrbnXw88 with programmable structures made from metal-oxo clusters. Dr. Markus Dürrenberger, the former head of the Nano Im- aging Lab, was granted honorary membership of the SNI for his outstanding services to microscopy. Further information: https://bit.ly/3Oew16m Ilaria Zardo, Christoph Gerber, Dominik Zumbühl, Marek Basler, Jonathan de Roo and Markus Dürrenberger are among the researchers from the SNI network who were honored in 2023. Fit for the future SNI events provide researchers from different institutions and disciplines Developing a strategy with an opportunity to exchange experiences and develop new ideas for projects. In 2023, the SNI team worked on developing a strategy for the Excellent next 10 years. As well as the SNI management, this process involved experts from the SNI network and from various Euro- Prizes and awards for researchers pean nanocenters, as well as the members of the SNI Executive from the SNI network Committee. In spring 2024, the results of this process will be published in a strategy paper to serve as a guide for the SNI’s future de- In 2023, prizes were awarded to numerous researchers from velopment. Key topics include focus areas, collaboration, ad- the SNI network. aptation and impact. Among them was the head of the Nano Technology Center, Professor Ilaria Zardo, who received the Emmy Noether Dis- tinction from the European Physical Society (EPS) in the mid-ca- SNI Annual Report 2023 55