KEY POINTS
- Nanotechnology is having an increasing impact on the Australian economy and society.
- Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of matter at the molecular scale and has the potential to fundamentally alter the way people live, by providing new drug delivery systems, faster and cheaper manufacturing processes, cleaner and more efficient energy generation, new materials, clean water and the next generation of computing devices.
- Australian researchers and industry are actively participating in the development of nanotechnology. The 2007 Nanotechnology Capability Directory identified around 75 nanotechnology research organisations and 80 nanotechnology companies.
- The $9.6 million National Nanotechnology Strategy (NNS) was a two-year initiative from July 2007 to the end of June 2009.
- The activities under the NNS were focused on nano-metrological capability; effective and appropriate regulatory frameworks; public awareness and coordination of a whole of government approach to nanotechnology.
- Through the NNS regulatory agencies reviewed the impact of nanotechnology on regulatory frameworks. This is increasingly important as new applications of nanotechnology are developed and appear in products available to the community.
- The Review of the National Innovation System looked at the issues of frontier science and enabling technologies - such as nanotechnology - to determine how these technologies can be integrated into the national innovation system as a whole.
- As part of the Budget 2009-10 (in Powering Ideas: an Innovation Agenda for the 21st Century), the Australian Government announced the $38.2 million National Enabling Technologies Strategy.
FACTS AND FIGURES
Overview
Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of matter at the molecular scale and has the potential to fundamentally alter the way people live, by providing new drug delivery systems, faster and cheaper manufacturing processes, cleaner and more efficient energy generation, new materials, clean water and the next generation of computing devices. Nanotechnology can lead to novel properties of products raising health, environmental, social and ethical issues.
Industry Structure
Nanotechnology is an enabling technology rather than a sector itself. Applications occur in biotechnology, materials science, chemicals and plastics, cosmetic, health care, energy and ICT.
In early 2007, Invest Australia developed a capability directory which identified:
- 80 nanotechnology companies (companies using nanotechnology in products/services)
- 75 research institutions active in nanotechnology
Leading firms
Given the nature of nanotechnology there are not many large firms who's principal business relates to nanotechnology. Nano specific companies are typically SMEs commercialising nanotechnology-based products. These include:
- Advanced Nanotechnology
- CapXX
- pSivida
- Starpharma
- MiniFab
- Very Small Particle Company
A few larger companies listed in the capability directory:
- Pilkington Glass
- GJ James
- Orica
- Cochlear
- KingGee
- PolyNovo Biomaterials Pty Ltd
Policy
The NNS was a $9.6 million two-year strategy from July 2007 to the end of June 2009. The NNS included the following key initiatives:
- address the health, safety and environmental (HSE) impacts of nanotechnology on regulations and standards;
- undertake a public awareness and engagement program to provide balanced advice on nanotechnology;
- establish a nano-particle metrology capability at the National Measurement Institute; and
- facilitate a whole of government approach to nanotechnology through the Australian Office of Nanotechnology.
The NNS complemented existing research, research infrastructure, innovation and industry policies that promote the development of enabling technologies such as nanotechnology.
Opportunities and emerging issues
The activities under the NNS were focussed and shaped around the following:
- Ensuring HSE issues are effectively addressed
- Ensuring a well informed public debate about the social, ethical and economic impacts of nanotechnology in Australia
- Encouraging uptake of nanotechnology by the Australian industry to boost Australia’s international competitiveness
- Encouraging linkages between public research and industry to ensure Australia benefits from the opportunities emerging from the application of nanotechnology in industry
Key Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics does not collect data on nanotechnology as a separate industry code and nanotechnology has only been explicitly included as a research code since March 2008. Nanotechnology is typically incorporated into products or services which would be classified under other sectors. The future market size of products incorporating nanotechnology is estimated to be in the range of US$150 billion in 2010 to as much as US$2.6 trillion in 2014 (LuxResearch 2007).