Bangalore Nano 2007 to bridge research-industry gap

BANGALORE, INDIA: The first Bangalore Nano 2007 Convention, a two-day event on nanoscience and technology, was officially launched on August 22, 2007. The event is to be held on December 6-7, in association with Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR). It would focus on the integrated roles of technologies, applications and market for the successful commercialization of nanotechnology. The theme of the event is: ‘Bridging the research-industry gap in Nanotechnology’.

C.N.R. Rao, honorary president, JNCASR and the Chief Mentor of Bangalore Nano 2007, said at a press conference: “Nanotechnology, which has a global business potential of nearly $1 trillion, has many valuable societal application for the unprivileged in the country, including the creation of a more efficient filtering systems for producing clean drinking water and the provision of cheap and clean energy.

“The government must support through policies and financial grants to pursue larger social and environmental goals that could build capacities of our nation,” he added. He said that Indian laboratories, especially from Bangalore, had been contributing to a large extent in the field of new nanomaterials.

M.N. Vidyashankar, secretary to the Government, Department of IT, Biotechnology and Science & Technology, said that the event would create an opportunity for researchers, innovators as well as venture capitalists to showcase the latest advancements in the field of nanotechnology and to identify the investment opportunities for the future.

“Around 20,000 people are working on nanotechnology globally and the trends in information technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology are in convergence. Nanotechnology has vast applications in semiconductor industry as well,” Vidyashankar said during his welcome note. He added that such initiatives would help Bangalore become the home of nanoscience and technology in the very near future.

Bangalore Nano 2007 is the first major event of its kind in the country and is likely to host renowned global scientists and industry veterans in the field of nanotechnology.