At international level the mission of SENSOR: Nanotechnologies for Sensing and Advanced Applications is to design and develop materials and processes to realize devices and systems for functional applications.
In the field of bio-chemical sensing, the core of SENSOR activity, priority sectors of commitment is:

• Information and Communication Technology (ICT): the European vision of the Ambient Intelligence, intuitive interfaces living environments that are aware of our presence and responsive to our needs, requires development of low power and cost reliable sensor networks;
• Nanomedicine: Artificial Olfactive Systems in-vivo and specific sensors in-vitro for early diagnosis and prevention of severe diseases and for drug screening, statistical learning for Genomics
• Food: Artificial Olfactive Systems for certification and food quality monitoring and the development of biosensors for fast screening of foods towards GMO, pathogen agents and shelf life determination;
• Security: Development of sensors for trace monitoring of explosives and toxic agents to improve citizen safety from terrorism and organized crime.

In the field of Energy, SENSOR pursues the cutting edge scientific and technological challenges of research and industrial transfer on nanowire based third-generation solar cells and on solar concentration and spectral splitting.
Beside quasi 1-dimensional oxide nanostructures, which represent the most advanced field of investigation of nanostructured materials at SENSOR, are applied as fundamental building blocks of a forefront research in nanowire electronics. Priority is given to single-nanowire based sensors, highly efficient and long time stable electron field emitters and ionized gas sources.