Lockheed Martin forms LANCER nanotech research center at Rice U

April 22, 2008 -- "This is very significant for Lockheed Martin and we think we will reap benefits across the business," said Sharon Smith, director of Advanced Technology at Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), in announcing her company's new collaboration with Rice University for nanotechnology research. The strategic partnership, funded with $3 million over three years (but "looking to expand," according to Smith), aims to research and develop new nanotechnologies and nano-based solutions for a wide range of applications in electronics, energy, and security.

The Lockheed Martin Advanced Nanotechnology Center of Excellence at Rice University, or LANCER, will pair researchers from Lockheed Martin with Rice experts in carbon nanotechnology, photonics, plasmonics, and more. Rice University is widely recognized for many important contributions to nanotechnology. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin has a history of proactively engaging partners in nanotech R&D.

LANCER, a "virtual" organization, will launch in June 2008 at Rice's Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology. There will be a faculty director, but no new building and no dedicated space, Smalley Institute director Wade Adams told Small Times. Adams added that Rice has 130 faculty members working on nanotechnology.