Plotting the UK's nanofuture
Investment is urgently needed to unlock the commercial potential of nanotechnology in the UK. That is the conclusion of a business-backed report presented to Government on 14 January.
Nanotechnology – A UK Industry View, details work carried out following a call in July 2007 by Lord Drayson, the science minister, for suggestions on improving support for nanotechnology. Written by individuals within the materials and nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Networks (KTNs) and Materials UK, it recommends that more accessible and commercially focused funding should be provided for companies that help develop nanotechnology, as well as support for risk assessments of new products.
At the launch, Barry Park, a co-author of the report and Director at GBP Consulting in Swindon,UK, said, ‘We do not want small companies to come to the market with exciting technology and then find there are risk issues after the event’.
The report found that UK investment in nanotechnology is low. Per capita public funding was US$1.96 in 2008, compared with US$5.06 for the USA and US$6.07 for Germany. But it is Japan that is leading the race to commercialise nanotechnology. The country has identified this area as a strategic pillar for growth in science and technology. Its universities play a pivotal role in connecting nanotechnology research with large corporations. Kyoto University, for example, has forged links with Rohm, Pioneer, Hitachi and Mitsubishi Chemicals.
Dr Tiju Joseph, representing the UK Sensors and Instrumentation KTN, said that the Government needs to invest in centres capable of delivering world-class research. He suggested the UK could learn from the German Fraunhofer Institute’s model.
But not everyone was convinced that the report’s recommendations would ensure the commercial success of UK nanotechnology. One delegate proposed that the absence of Lord Drayson at the event showed that the Government did not take the issues raised seriously.
However, Dr Alan Smith, Managing Director at AZTECH Consulting Services, based in Wimborne, UK, argued that the commercial benefits of nanotechnology to the UK economy were too great to ignore, with over 800 companies active in the field.
Further information: Materials KTN and Nanotechnology KTNMaterials World Magazine, 01 Feb 2010
Nanotechnology – A UK Industry View, details work carried out following a call in July 2007 by Lord Drayson, the science minister, for suggestions on improving support for nanotechnology. Written by individuals within the materials and nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Networks (KTNs) and Materials UK, it recommends that more accessible and commercially focused funding should be provided for companies that help develop nanotechnology, as well as support for risk assessments of new products.
At the launch, Barry Park, a co-author of the report and Director at GBP Consulting in Swindon,UK, said, ‘We do not want small companies to come to the market with exciting technology and then find there are risk issues after the event’.
The report found that UK investment in nanotechnology is low. Per capita public funding was US$1.96 in 2008, compared with US$5.06 for the USA and US$6.07 for Germany. But it is Japan that is leading the race to commercialise nanotechnology. The country has identified this area as a strategic pillar for growth in science and technology. Its universities play a pivotal role in connecting nanotechnology research with large corporations. Kyoto University, for example, has forged links with Rohm, Pioneer, Hitachi and Mitsubishi Chemicals.
Dr Tiju Joseph, representing the UK Sensors and Instrumentation KTN, said that the Government needs to invest in centres capable of delivering world-class research. He suggested the UK could learn from the German Fraunhofer Institute’s model.
But not everyone was convinced that the report’s recommendations would ensure the commercial success of UK nanotechnology. One delegate proposed that the absence of Lord Drayson at the event showed that the Government did not take the issues raised seriously.
However, Dr Alan Smith, Managing Director at AZTECH Consulting Services, based in Wimborne, UK, argued that the commercial benefits of nanotechnology to the UK economy were too great to ignore, with over 800 companies active in the field.
Further information: Materials KTN and Nanotechnology KTNMaterials World Magazine, 01 Feb 2010
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