It was founded in 2006 by the Canton of Aargau and the University of Basel to succeed the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) Nanoscale Science.

The SNI organizes and coordinates the interdisciplinary bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in nanosciences at the University of Basel, which have been offered since 2002.

[7][8] Students on the bachelor’s program first receive a comprehensive grounding in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics and can then choose from an extensive range of electives over the course of their studies.

As part of the Nano-Argovia program, the SNI actively supports knowledge and technology transfer to industrial companies from Northwestern Switzerland.

[19] The SNI team plays an active role in public relations and outreach with a view to providing information about the nanosciences in general, encouraging an interest in the natural sciences, and helping a wide audience gain a better understanding of research work.

To this end, the institute arranges visitor programs and workshops for school classes, maintains a presence at science fairs and provides extensive materials, including instructions for experiments that people can carry out themselves.