Nanotechnology

GLOBAL INVESTOR FOCUS
Nanotechnology—08
Bigger isn’t always better. // Billions of dollars are invested in nanotechnology
research each year by companies and governments worldwide to substantiate this claim.
Today, the “technology of the tiny” is still in its embryonic phase, but it harnesses
huge potential. The benefits of this budding science are already apparent in the fields
of healthcare, materials, information technology and many more.
Karl Knop ⁄ nanotechnology expert, i4u GmbH ⁄ ⁄ Editor: Michèle Luderer ⁄ Credit Suisse Publications
Nanotechnology: A big future
for small things
Nanotechnology, a science that deals with objects with the size of
a few nanometers, is a field that promises astonishing advances in
every facet of society, from computers, to healthcare, to the environment.
Today, nanoscience has added more bounce to tennis balls,
made sunscreen lotions easier to smooth on, and even made trousers
stain-resistant. The first successes, however mundane, are
expected to pave the way for more momentous developments, such
as computers based on fundamentally new physical principles, allowing
simulations of complex systems such as the human brain. Once
the technology to build things from the atom up exists, scientists
should be in a better position to imitate efficient mechanisms existing
in nature.
These scientific breakthroughs might seem far-fetched, but
experts estimate that the move from laboratory demonstrations and
computer simulations to reality will be made within the next 10 to 30
years. This rapid development is made possible as a result of the huge
sums invested into the early stages of research and development by
governments around the world. The United States, for example,
invested approximately 1 billion dollars in nanotechnology research
and development in 2004 alone. That is double the amount invested
in 2001, when former President Bill Clinton launched the National
Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). The United States is not the only
country to recognize the economic and societal potential of nanotechnology.
Never in history before has there been such a unique global
effort in one common theme of research. According to the NNI,
worldwide government funding has increased to about five times what
it was in 1997, exceeding 2 billion dollars in 2002. Asian countries,
including Japan, China and Korea, as well as several European countries,
have made leadership in nanotechnology national priorities. At
25 million dollars a year, Switzerland’s investment per capita is high
by international standards. These governments are digging deep into
their coffers now, because they are aware of the potential substantial
returns. The U.S. National Science Foundation has predicted that the
market for nanotechnology, or products containing nanotechnology,
will reach 1 trillion dollars in 10 to 15 years. That also translates into
an estimated 7 million jobs that will be needed to support nanotechnology
industries worldwide, according to the U.S. National Science
Foundation. >