Developing Countries Developing Business

A conference called by the International Centre for Science and High Technology of the UN Industrial Development Organisation (ICS-UNIDO), has concluded that developing countries will need to build their capacity for transforming research into commercial ventures.
While it appears the research is going well there seems to be a need for a forum whereby entrepreneurs in the South and compaines from the North could meet. Unless these contacts are developed it would seem the developing countries will be inventing in a vacum.
The challenge for many developing countries lies in their lack of infrastructure or a tradition of partnerships between research and industry. As Nanotechnology offers a wide range of applications, some countries could focus, for example, on the problem of contaminated water, like Bangladesh.
Argentina has developed a selective approach in the hope of becoming a leading player on a few applications.
In South Africa, government, industry and academia are all trying to determine which applications to focus on. Generally they are striving to work in an area like water purification where people will see the benefit.
It would seem that the coming revolution in science and business is a perfect way for the developing nations to put themselves on a par with the rest of the world. However with the Americans able to invest almost four billion dollars, you can begin to see where the problems might arise.

Nano profits?

Here's one that caught my eye. Perhaps for those of you not ploughing your hard earned cash in Nanotechnology yet this story might convince you. It was titled "Gidron, Petruschka founding nanotechnology start-up" Now these two guys are the guys who sold Chromatis Networks to Lucent Technologies for nearly five billion dollars. Then Lucent shut it down a year later. Now that was either worth getting rid of competition, (expensive) a big booboo(very expensive) or something else (still very expensive) They two gentlemen in question have reportedly started a Nanotechnology 'startup'. Why wouldn't they with all the cash they made.

"The Confederation of Indian Industry had recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Research Coucil of Canada, for cooperation between small and medium enterprises in the fields of life sciences, renewable energy and joint development of industrial nanotechnology.

It aims to help small enterprises in both countries to develop a link with research institutions for creation of new technologies and their commercial production." Excuse my ignorance but it looks like the native american peoples may yet have the last laugh.

Zyvex and Arkema today that they will jointly develop commercial nanomaterials applications. I got the story from the pr news wire but I am sure you can read about it on their respective sites.

Ok talk to all soon.

Could someone miss the boat?

According to research undertaken by LUX the bigger pharma companies seem to be slacking on investing resources into nanotechnology. It bases its conclusions on responses given by heads of nano tech at 33 global corporations whos annual revenue is over Four Billion Euro.........

" No life sciences interviewee rates nanotech as a high corporate
priority, as opposed to 78% of interviewees in electronics and
materials.
Only one out of six life sciences respondents claims to have an
explicit strategy for nanotechnology, compared with two-thirds of
those in other electronics and materials.
Big pharma companies on average commit 16 people and less than half of
one percent of R&D spending to nanotechnology research, whereas
like-sized electronics and materials firms commit more than 100 people
and more than 8% of R&D. "

The report concludes that with a raft of discoverys, bigger companies will have to deal with a whole raft of new partners and contracts. I find it quite amazing to think what this could mean. Could the big companies possibly change soon as this new type of technology develops. Is it possible it might also bring a global business revolution and new ways of business could come about??? No, not likely but possible.

Proteins and Transport

Lumera Corporation (NASDAQ:LMRA) and The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) will be collaborating in the development of a high-throughput, label-free detection platform designed to revolutionize proteomics research. Proteomics as far as I can tell, is basically anything to do with Proteins. High density micro arrays are read in real time without the use of molecular labels. In short it means the researches get through more work quicker.

Ener1 Nanotech are really making a difference by producing high discharge rate lithium-ion battery electrodes for hybrid electric vehicles. The electrodes give higher output and are charged faster. The company's new electrode production system also allows for the use of low cost raw materials and eliminates the need for undesirable additives such as binders and solvents that can slow a battery's rate of power output. This could in fact revolutionise not just the automobile industry, (i wish) but basically anything from fuel cells, to superconductors and even electric wires.

I won't hold my breath but I feel a change comming. Maybe all the oil wars will stop and carbon ones will start.

Would you please explain to the secretary

I have got to say it amuses me.
I have read more than one press release from Government officials that shows for sure the government Guys don't know what they are talking about. See the previous posting in relation to the new research centre in Ireland for an idea. However more to the point, you could take a look at the press release that came from Governor George E. Pataki ‘s office, which consistently referred to mm instead of nm . Now you may think this is a small detail but I can assure you 200mm is a hell of lot larger than 200nm. Lads, next time you give a press release to be typed up, edited or corrected, would you just take a moment and explain to whoever is making aforesaid adjustment, just what the heck nanotechnology is. Thanks.
Oh and by the way, before you start having a go at my punctuation, grammar, and spelling, its 4am in the morning and I can't sleep.

You know they can't see them

Did you know that normal optical microscopes actually can't see anything as small as a nanometer. It just isn't possible. Apparently something in the realm of 200nm's is the limit.
It sort of begs the question that if it can't be seen, not only how do you know it's there, but how the heck do you build things this size.
Anyway not to worry, just in case you loose your nano whatever it is you have, a new optical imaging device is under development at NSIT.
"In a preliminary test of the embryonic technique, NIST scientists used violet light with a wavelength of 436 nanometers to image features as small as 40 nanometers, about five times smaller than possible with a conventional optical microscope."
Let explain what this means, find the smallest crumb you can and put on about 10 pairs of gloves and then try to pick up the crumb. Now honestly I did try to break this story down further for you, but, a guy can only take so much of light particles scattered over a page to try and find a full stop, to make any sense to anyone. No I am not a scientist. Those of you who are go have a read here.

Now battery operated toys at christmas will be a good thing

New batteries with a longer shelf life are on the horizon. Now all your Christams toys will last longer assuming the cheap plastic doesn't crack and break before the nano battery does. The new battery is based on using liquid drops of electrolyte atop "nanograss" that stay dormant until stimulated to flow. So when it's on its definitely on and when its off it's definitely off. However the company putting forward this new idea, MPHASE are not thinking toys but rather defense and medicine. To be honest it's probably just defense. mPhase and Lucent announced an agreement in March 2004, under which mPhase plans to commercialize the nanobattery under license from Lucent. mPhase projects its nanobattery to be commercially available in the next year and a half, and plans to produce the technology packaged in various configurations. A primary development goal is to create a battery which has a shelf life lasting decades, and yet can be activated instantaneously. You can read it here.........

Science of the small in Ireland

Well finally. I was beginning to wonder. The boys back home on the old sod have finally got it together and are building Irelands first purpose built research institute to advance the frontiers of the world of Nano. The Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures & Nanodevices (CRANN which means tree if I remember my gaelic correctly) is based in Trinity College Dublin, is funded under Irelands CSET program. It is expected that strong links will be forged to other European researches as the EU continues to look for ways to stimulate, jobs, economy, and of course science.
Already a leader in Pharmaceuticals, and software, Irealand has been in need of some serious boost lately as certainly the software work is drying up. Perhaps this may help to boost the Celtic Tiger again but I fear when I look at the funding, and the fact that the facility is not yet built, that it is way too little too late. I hope not though. I would give you the link to the story, but the sound bite blurp of the Minister is so cheesy I thought I would spare you all.

Nanotechnology and future concerns

The Meridian Institute are holding an online survey about the possible effects of Nanotechnology on the lives of the worlds poor. Go to http://www.nanoandthepoor.org to get more details of the discussion paper. The paper outlines various areas that Nanotechnology is used or being developed. The institutes concern at first glance, appears to be that the development of this new way of life, will perhaps leave the have nots with even less than they have right now. So in order to try and improve the lot of the masses, and to educate and find new ways of perhaps using the many different technologies involved in Nano, in improving world health and living conditions, they have come up with a disscussion paper. It is well worth going along to the above site or to http://nanotech.dialoguebydesign.net/fmain.asp to gain more insight.
The paper is accompanied by a series of 15 which cover,

a) Opportunities and Risks
b) Risks - Environmental and Human Health
c) Challenges for Linking Nanotechnology and Development
d) Lessons Learned from Past Successes and Failures
e) Stakeholders Working Together
f) Background Information
g) Other Events, Initiatives, Organizations, or Individuals

The paper itself gives a good if word heavy overview of what nanotechnology really is. I will be using it over the next few days to fill in many of this site's visitors. It has managed to answer quite a few of my own questions.
Chat to you in a nano.

Window washing?

So whats happening out there. Well the Nano business alliance are organising their annual get together to educate and raise funds for investment, you can read about it here.It's in DC so be there if you care.
In May the Nanotechnology trade association will be having its forth get together, this one is more about science than money. It will be at the NY Marriot Financial centre hotel go here to have a read. Although I would have thought that anyone who knew better would hesitate going to a nanoevent, I mean how long would it last and how big would be? Surely it would be over before we got there?

Nanotechnology regardless of the weapons being researched at the moment seem to be able to clean up the environment. Nano sized particles of iron are being used to clear up poisons in soil or groundwater. carbon tetrachloride often found in chemical spills and used in cleaning fluids and degreasing agents is broken down by the iron nanoparticles and one would assume then made harmless. It apparently also causes cancer in animals so more whey hey for the nanoresearch.

Emergency Filtration Products Inc. recently announced that it has received confidential and official notification from the United States Department of Defense approving the use of its filter technology for the U.S. military. This notification included specific reference to the company's protective masks as well as an interest to develop filtration systems for use in tanks, vehicles and shelter (buildings). I am wondering how much the sand in the middle east may have had to do with this

Nanogen (hey you read about them already) developer of advanced diagnostic products, recently announced the appointment of Robert Saltmarsh as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Saltmarsh joined Nanogen as Vice President of Corporate Development last September. In addition to participating in business development initiatives, he assumed oversight of all financial operations and investor relations for the company. So let me put it to you this way, if you don't want to invest, send me the cash and I'd be happy to do it.However I am betting this had something to do with the patent issued the day before his appointment or rather he had some thing to do with it . The '053 patent relates to methods of making a covalently bonded permeation layer on a microchip. The technology described in the patent relates to Nanogen's advanced chip designs, which are used for analysis of biological molecules such as nucleic acids for diagnostic applications.

And finally the Lotus flower. No I haven't gone all Tantric or Yogic on you. Well if you have a small machine you can never really see how do you oil the moving parts? Well believe it or not you use the same technology to make a window clean itself, or even the same technology a lotus leaf uses to dry itself. ?? don't believe me? Well its all about Bumps and friction. So just go here and have a read and let me know when you think the collection of perambulating men with wet cloths and buckets will finally be put out of job. Thinking small to get big. Hmm somehow I don't think that should be my mantra.