David Tolfree MSc., F.Inst.P., CPhys., F.IoN. was the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Technopreneur Ltd, a consultancy company for the exploitation of micro-nanotechnologies, established in the UK. He is one of the founders of MANCEF and is currently the European Vice President.  David is also one of the founders of the UK Institute of Nanotechnology and a member of its Advisory Board.  He is a Chartered Physicist with a Masters Degree in Nuclear Physics, a
Fellow of the Institute of Physics and the Institute of Nanotechnology.  

Since the early 1990s, David has acted as a consultant and adviser to Government, industry and academia to bring awareness of the commercial and societal implications of micro-nanotechnologies.  He was the first in the UK to exploit deep X-ray lithography for fabricating precision microstructures using the Daresbury Synchrotron and later was the co-ordinator of the first European funded R&D Network in Microtechnology, lead by Germany with partners from nine other European countries. During that time he also organised and ran over 45 conferences and workshops, including contributing to all MANCEF’s International Commercialisation of Microsystems Conferences (COMS) as a co-director, chair, and speaker.  Currently he is a Co-Director of the COMS2009 conference to be held in Copenhagen.

David is proactive in promoting the emergent technologies and has published over 140 papers, including news articles, chapters for books and journal papers, and has given interviews on national television and radio.  He has co-authored the books: ‘Commercialising Micro-Nanotechnology Products’ and ‘Roadmapping Emergent Technologies’ and chapters in the MANCEF ‘International Microsystems and Top-Down Nanotechnology Roadmap’. David’s interests are writing, film-making, photography, promoting science and technology to the public, including schools and colleges, cosmology, swimming and gardening.

David says:  "The emergent technologies are producing new products, processes and systems that will shape the future. They are already providing benefits and unparalleled opportunities for the development of the world economy.  MANCEF with its mission and global outreach has a pivotal role to play in this development."