Applied research in nanotechnology
Knowledge is a progressively more decisive factor in the process of socio-economic growth and it contributes to increase competition and cooperation. The capacity to generate and utilize knowledge and the accessibility of information give to a country or to a group of countries, a significant comparative advantage in terms of economic competitiveness and encourage social progress. An effective system of technological and scientific education and knowledge acquisition is needed to develop human resources capable of dealing with new technologies such as nanotechnology. In fact, in the case of nanotechnology more than other technical and scientific fields, the knowledge acquisition issue represents an important and sensitive challenge due to the fact that nanotechnology represents a convergence of several different sciences and topics (i.e. physics, engineering, mathematics, chemistry, biology, etc.).
The direct involvement of researchers, scientists, technologists from developing countries in applied research projects has become crucial in the case of nanotechnology, where the critical mass of information is well defined but needs to be exploited at industrial level, when it has to be transformed into products able to meet the market requirements.
In such a framework, to enable researchers (and industrialists) from developing countries to access knowledge and technology, a portfolio of applied research projects, ready to be implemented within research centres, laboratories, universities, industries (with the active participation of researchers from emerging countries) has been established and will be updated on a yearly basis.
Applied research projects are selected according to the interest of the local institutions and/or are part of the local government programmes in high tech/nanotechnology applications and development. Special emphasis is devoted in promoting and supporting projects dealing with the creation of innovative products developing, using and adapting nanotechnology to address local needs (including the promotion of exports for international markets).