With 87 registered participants, plus further scientists from NPL who dropped in for selected sessions, NanoScale 2026 at NPL turned out to be a great venue for nanometrologists and users in different fields of industry and academia. NanoScale 2026 brought together researchers from 13 European countries and 6 countries outside Europe (China, Japan, Thailand, Australia, South Africa, Canada), confirming NanoScale's significance as the leading nano- and micrometrology conference in Europe with global international participation. Apart from Germany and the United Kingdom, Poland and the Czech Republic were best represented.

The NanoScale 2026 programme comprised 32 oral presentations (among them 6 keynote lectures) and 34 posters, covering a broad range of topics from challenges of ultrasmooth surfaces via quantum and nanoscale standards, nanopositioning, advanced optical and X-ray nanoscale metrology, to novel sensors and instrumentation. A special session addressed the requirements of nanoscale metrology for advanced materials as well as, in turn, the application of advanced materials for nanoscale metrology. A digital Book of Abstracts (230 pages) was provided to the participants as pdf-file.

While Special Sessions on ongoing European projects used to be an essential contribution to some previous NanoScale conferences, this time a special focus was put on the future needs in metrology as voiced particularly by industry as key user. To stimulate the exchange on current and future trends and needs, six keynote speakers from different branches of industry and related academia were invited to NanoScale 2026, including semiconductor industry, manufacturers and users (e. g. at synchroton facilities) of ultra-precision positioning systems as well as institutes and companies working on the sythesis and application of nanoparticles, complex nanocarriers as e. g. applied in medicine, and generally various advanced materials, as well as diagnostic strategies relying on nanometrological techniques.

It was generally appreciated that the conference provided ample time for discussions, the more so as the refreshments and lunch were served in the poster hall, stimulating mutual exchange not only in the poster sessions. The reception at the famous historical Bushy House on the first evening helped to get to get acquainted with each other and meet colleagues and friends again in a relaxed atmosphere.

The social highlight of this year's NanoScale was an excursion by double-decker coach to Brooklands Motor Racing and Aviation Museum near Weybridge, where the first purpose-built racing circuit was opened in 1907. The museum hosts a fascinating exhibition of racing cars right from the early beginning to the present in the original premises. NanoScale 2026 had a campagne reception amidth the historical racing cars. Apart from racing, Brooklands used to be the home of aviation: Starting in the pioneering phase in the early 20th century, aircrafts were built and tested here until 1987, among them components of the Concorde supersonic plane; the NanoScale attendees went onboard the Concorde that is on display at Brooklands.
NanoScale conference dinner took place in the historical club house of the Brooklands racing circuit. The prize of the Dr.-Ing. Siegfried Werth Foundation was awarded to Jan Thiesler (PTB + TU Braunschweig) for his outstanding PhD thesis "A true 3D-AFM head"; Andrew Yacoot (NPL) and Harald Bosse (PTB) were honoured for their achievements in nanometrology and supporting NanoScale right from the conference's beginnings 25 years ago until today.

The conference concluded with lab tours: NanoScale attendees visited the NPL labs for the metre realization, the Kibble balance, X-ray interferometry, AFM and surface texture. A coffee break in the scientific museum of NPL gave insight into the history of the Metre Convention vs. imperial units and generally the development of measurement technology.

Proceedings as peer-reviewed papers will be published in Measurement Science and Technology again. All contributors to NanoScale 2026 are cordially invited to take their chance to publish their latest research in this high-quality journal.

Please see the landing page of our Focus Collection NanoScale2026 for details; you should select the appropriate article type for your submission, then choose ‘NanoScale 2026’ from the drop-down menu to ensure that your paper is included in the Focus Collection NanoScale 2026. Once your manuscript has passed the review and is published, it will be listed and linked on the landing page.

The deadline for manuscript submission is February 28th, 2027. 

With 32 oral presentations (among them 6 keynote lectures) and 34 posters, exciting novel development and research results were presented at NanoScale 2026, please see the programme (pdf) booklet for details! For all registered participants the Book of Abstracts (program + all 69 abstracts) remains available for download (username: nanoscale, password was sent by mail 2026-10-02 and again 2026-10-13). 
 

NanoScale 2026 extended over three full days (Tuesday-Thursday) to allow ample time for presentation and discussions. Please see the program for details.
Similar to 2019 and 2023, NanoScale was embedded in a Length Metrology Week, with Working/Task Groups of the BIPM Consultative Committee on Length meeting in conjunction with NanoScale 2026. We are pleased that there were no parallel sessions, neither at NanoScale nor concerning these WG/TG meetings. While NanoScale was an open event (which required prior registration), the WG/TG meetings were for delegates only, who were warmly welcome to take the chance and combine their WG/TG meetings with attending NanoScale.

• Proceedings: As of March 13th, 2025, the virtual Special Issue of MST is complete and ready for download! All manuscripts that have successfully completed the review are listed and linked on the landing page of the NanoScale MST special section 

• Most papers of our MST Special Issue are anyway open access. Please feel free to download and read them! Those articles that are not open access were made available for free download to all NanoScale 2023 attendees for a limited time.