Nanomedicine - European Science Foundation

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3. EUROPEAN SITUATION AND FORWARD LOOK – SWOT ANALYSIS
Threats
Funding and
Strategic Issues
Academic Research
and Education
Environment
for Research
and Development
Commercial
Exploitation
Technology
• EU and/or national
bureaucracy limiting
the best use of
funding for research
and innovation
• Failure to respond
quickly to the need for
more multidisciplinary
training targeted at
Nanomedicine, leading
to Inadequately trained
workforce
• Continued erosion of
the European
pharmaceutical
industry
• Difficulties in
managing intellectual
property with many
different national patent
organisations. Poorly
capitalised companies
can lose their
intellectual property
base
• Lack of scientific
dissemination and
truly interdisciplinary
exchange in the field
of Nanomedicine
• Continued
fragmentation
of efforts in the
Nanomedicine field,
particularly economic,
political, and
regulatory aspects
• Increasing lack
of science
(under)graduates
• Too many young
researchers leaving
Europe, particularly to
USA via brain-drain
• Pharmaceutical
companies
concentrating their
research outside
Europe
• Inability to secure
sufficient funding (and
time) to commercialise
innovative products
• Mismatch between
studies on toxicology
of nanomaterials
and Nanomedicine
researchers in certain
sub-disciplines
• Discrepancies
between promises
and facts in funding
• Negative public and
political perception.
A different perception
by the public on risks
of the use of
nanopharmaceuticals
was noted, compared
to the uses of
nanotechnology in
hi-tech products;
e.g. computers and
mobile telephones
• Researchers
becoming unwilling
to take on high risk
projects because of the
need to generate data
(success) for subsequent
project evaluation
• Overregulation
and inadequate
funding for small
companies
• Failure to consider
the environmental
impact of new materials
• Failure to consider
the safety of new
materials in respect of
proposed applications
• Lack of a balanced
understanding of
the risk-benefit of
Nanomedicine-related
products in their many
forms and applications