News: Nanotechnology
Eighteen British companies at the cutting-edge of science are to attend a world-leading trade fair thanks to UK Trade ... more
An initiative to develop a 'Responsible NanoCode' for businesses working with nanotechnologies has been launched by the ... more
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Nanotechnology
The UK actively supports research and development efforts in advanced engineering and materials, and has a long and proud history of innovation and excellence in this sector. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK Government's leading funding agency for research and training in this area. It invests more than $700 million (?378 million) a year in world-class research that forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and leads to improvements in health, personal well-being and lifestyle.
In addition to the $33 million (?18 million) in research funding committed to the IRCs, the UK Government announced in 2003 it would dedicate $164 million (?90 million) over the next six years toward nanotechnology R&D, collaborative research, and commercialization. The Government expects the investment will also secure additional industry and regional spending anticipated to exceed $370 million (?200 million).
Electronic Communication and Informatics
The potential for nanotechnology in the Information and Communications Technology area is huge. Areas of interest include photonic crystals and integrated circuits, quantum information processing and quantum structure electronic devices as well as semiconductor nanostructures. The UK has high-quality research in this area. Optoelectronics are effectively the flagship of the nanotechnology sector in the UK, followed by optical communications. Additionally, industry is well-supported by a strong R&D base throughout the UK.- Nanodevices: Life as We Know It, Only Much Smaller
- : Published: 21 January 2005
+ Other Nanotechnology websites
Biological and Medical Applications
Nanoscale devices may be the key to safely addressing drug delivery challenges, developing faster and remote diagnostics, and enabling novel tissue-engineered products, grafts and implants. All of these represent dramatic new developments with a huge potential for diffusion in the market. The UK is a large user and producer in this field drawing on areas of traditional strength in biology and biochemistry. The UK is internationally strong in pharmaceuticals and medical devices, facilitated by collaborative university/industry research, and has been on the forefront of drug delivery, working with, for example, drug polymer conjugates, nanoparticles and micelles for decades.+ Other Nanotechnology websites
Nanoparticles and Materials
Materials account for about 70% of the GNO of industrialized nations. Nanotechnology provides the opportunity for the creation of almost limitless kinds of novel materials where the elemental structure has been engineered to achieve previously unachievable performance characteristics and functionality. Already there is a large and rapidly growing market for these new materials. The applications of nanomaterials in the UK are largely driven by the aerospace, biomedical and defence sectors. The UK has leading companies in coatings and hard materials, and real strengths in producing nanoparticles, polymers, catalysts and biocompatible materials, supported by an excellent multidisciplinary science base providing much innovative work in this area.+ Other Nanotechnology websites
Instrumentation and Sensors
Nanotechnology provides the means for a wide range of increasingly sophisticated and complex monitoring systems. The two major drivers in this area will be the health care and security sectors, where nanosensors can satisfy the demand for ever more and complex information needed to monitor a person?s state of health or provide data on a person?s identity, agent detection, or asset tracking. Furthermore nanosensors and instrumentation are the necessary enabling technologies for nanotechnology itself. The successful exploitation of nanotechnology depends on the instrumentation and sensing necessary to examine and characterize the effects and quality of nanotechnological devices. Instrumentation and sensors has long been an area of strength for the UK. There are world-class companies operating in many of the areas related to this field and the UK also has areas of world-class research in the underpinning technologies, especially in functional materials, nanofabrication, biomolecular and biomimetic technologies.- UK School Students Compete at International Robot Design Competition
- : British Embassy, Washington D.C.
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