Regular readers will know all about the saga of Oxonica, the small university spin out that managed an IPO and then spent the following few years bogged down in legal battles while losing 95% of its value before finally delisting and scattering its executives to the four winds – presumably before they were ripped limb from limb by irate shareholders. …
Bringing UK Nanotechnology Into Disrepute?
The company that most have pointed to as the UKs leading nanotechnology company, Oxonica, finds itself in the news again this week after losing the second round of its court battle with Neuftec, and becomes the latest company to find itself in difficulties after being saddled with a huge legal bill. Well, companies go bust all the time, and it …
Job Vacancy and Redundancies at Oxonica
Our old friends Oxonica are looking for a new CEO and are making a number of other redundancies as well. Having developed product offerings in all of its businesses, Oxonica is now focusing on partnering the Group’s businesses to secure profitable platforms for growth. In 2008, Oxonica’s Diagnostics business was partnered with BD and the Company is currently in partnering …
Losing Control of Geoengineering
The New York Times seems to be going to town with Geoengineering with an article Pressing the Case for Geoengineering yesterday and a column on Building a Better Biosphere? today. Yesterdays article illustrates the worries that the eco lobby have over engineering solutions for climate change, and I recently heard the same line from Greenpeace. Francelino Grando, a senior government …
Nanotechnology and Sustainability Podcast
A number of people asked about the possibility of re-recording the podcast of the talk I gave at Green Futures at the weekend as the quality is a bit patchy. It’s something I have been meaning to do for some time, as I can talk several orders of magnitude faster than I can type. I should also point out that this …
Time For A New Green Agenda?
Yesterday’s meeting started me thinking about why, despite some NGO finding another potential climate related catastrophe almost every day, there is a feeling of frustration and a lack of progress. It looks to be the fault of the Green movement itself. If we take a look at the history of the environmental movement, most if it sprang from the anti …
Technology or Simplicity?
In a change from the usual run of nanotech and investing conferences, I’ll be at the “Ideas For A Greener Living” exhibition at Olympia (London) on 18th April. I’m taking part in a debate with ‘eco expert’ Penney Poyzer, organised by the 21st Century Technology Network. At the core of this is whether we should rely on technology to try …
Save the Planet – Shoot Yourself
I’m not sure whether the credit crunch has brought on about of pre apocalyptic fever or whether living a a world of instant gratification has resulted in attempting anything on a timescale of more than a few weeks has people wailing & gnashing their teeth in jaw snapping frustration. Whatever the cause, environmental issues seem to be resulting in a …
The Physical Sciences are the Cornerstone of Prosperity for the US Future
The new US administration seems to be moving quickly, allowing the use of embryonic stem cells and Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu addressed all the national labs yesterday. A couple of the heartening points reported at CosmicVariance are The DOE is the principal supporter of physical sciences in the US, and the physical sciences are the conernstone of prosperity for …
Organic Photovoltaics Almost on the Market, Again?
It’s been long known, although not in the clean tech community, that there are several major problems to be overcome before organic photovoltaics can get to market. One of the most pressing issues has been lifetime – it doesn’t matter how cheaply you can produce things if the major cost ends up being a tea crazed workman clambering up a ladder to rip out the dead solar calls …