On November 23 Dr. Sumio Iijima was awarded with the 2007 Balzan Prize for Nanoscience for his discovery of carbon nanotubes, in particular the discovery of single walled carbon nanotubes and the study of their properties, by the International Balzan Prize Foundation. The award ceremony took place in Berne, Switzerland. Dr. Iijima is the first Japanese person to receive a Balzan Prize.

Every year, four Balzan Prizes are awarded to scholars, scientists or artists who are distinguished in their fields on an international level. The aim of the Balzan prizes is to foster culture, the sciences and the most outstanding humanitarian initiatives of peace and brotherhood among peoples, regardless of nationality, race or creed.

The carbon nanotube, discovered in 1991 by Dr. Iijima at NEC's Fundamental Research Laboratories (now the Nano Electronics Research Laboratories), is a central material of nanotechnology. A broad range of fields, including electronics, energy and biotechnology, are expected to benefit from application of the carbon nanotube in the future.

Dr. Iijima is a Senior Research Fellow at NEC Corporation, Director of the Research Center for Advanced Carbon Materials at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology of Tsukuba, and Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Meijo University, Nagoya.

For more information on the International Balzan Foundation, please visit: www.balzan.org

Reference Material on Dr. Sumio Iijima
(1) Innovative Engine (Research):
http://www.nec.co.jp/rd/Eng/innovative/E1/top.html
(2) Applications Stemming from Carbon Nanotube Discovery at NEC
http://www.nec.co.jp/rd/Eng/innovative/E1/ayumi.html
(3) Dr. Sumio Iijima's Research Accomplishments and Biography
http://www.nec.co.jp/rd/Eng/innovative/E1/profile.html