Playing with the new stats site from the Iranian Nanotech Initiative I couldn’t resist a few comparisons. Here’s a comparison between the UK and Iran of articles published on nanotechnology – the site explains the methodology in terms of keywords and of course these comparisons are never perfect. While Iran seems to be closing the gap this is based on numbers …
Why Sanctions Could Be Good For Iranian Nanotech
The news that Iran and Venezuela have signed a nanotechnology cooperation agreement seems to have raised a few eyebrows, which is probably what was intended. Or to put it in the evil dictator language beloved by the press “This news is a thorn in the eye of our enemies. Ha!” Far from being the creation of a new ‘axis of …
The Nanotech Threat from the Developing World
Much of the past decade has been spent worrying about the potential toxicity of nanomaterials. We have had numerous government-funded projects, scores of publications by environmental groups, intense lobbying demanding the labelling of nanomaterials, and even a law suit. But while the developed world agonises over the use of nanomaterials, much of the rest of the world is simply getting …
Nanotechnology in Iran: Well Organised and Impressive
Iran has always been a source of fascination, a place of ancient culture and history and now a country making a lot of noise about science and technology, so I was pleased to be invited by the Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council to attend the Iran Nano 2011 exhibition in Tehran. As I’d spent the previous few days in Taiwan at …
Taiwan Nano 2011
Some pictures from Taiwan Nano 2011 – including the now inevitable nanotech toilet!
The 2011 Report on Global Nanotechnology Funding and Impact
In the last 11 years, governments around the world have invested more than US$67.5 billion in nanotechnology funding. When corporate research and various other forms of private funding are taken into account, nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars will have been invested in nanotechnology by 2015.
The Russians Are Coming!
Or rather everyone involved in nanotech is beating a path to Russia and their new high tech cluster at Skolkovo. Not letting the grass grow under feet after splashing out a billion dollars on deals for Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM) from Crocus Technology and $700 million on organic electronics with Plastic Logic, to coincide with the St Petersburg International Economic …
Artificial Rare Earth ‘Sort Of’ Created
Anyone hoping that China’s near monopoly over Lanthanides will be broken may be disappointed to see that the recent news about artificial palladium being created in a Japanese lab is a long way from being much use. It doesn’t stop magazines like Fast Company (whom I thought folded years ago along with Red Herring) getting a little over excited and …
Stimulating Nanotech Innovation
One of the biggest problems facing nanoscience is moving from pottering around in a lab doing something fascinating to translational research, i.e. taking that process or material and moving it in the direction of something that may be of use to someone for reasons other than writing publications. In the early days of nanotech, with investors fired up be the …
Support R&D, Create Wealth!
When it comes to spending decent sums on R&D and translating that into a direct economic impact, South Korea has been a shining example. While we struggle with budgets, the People’s Daily reports on South Koreas spending plans for emerging technologies: The South Korean government said Thursday it will increase the amount of investment in developing technology to enhance the …