European support for SME nanotechnology
Active participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be key to rolling out the potential of nanotechnology in Europe, according to a report from the Nanoforum consortium covering regional, national and European levels for start-ups and SMEs specialising in nanotechnologies. The report “has been published to assist SMEs that are developing nanotechnology products and processes, to identify relevant support programmes and organisations.”
Nanotech SMEs are seen as a major source of innovation and entrepreneurship and could help Europe to better capitalise on its world-class research. However SMEs often have difficulty in accessing funds and support to achieve their full potential.
Nanotechnology is expected to have a major impact on global economies this century and is an important sector for the European Union's goal of making the region “the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-driven economy by 2010”, as set down in the March 2000 “Lisbon Agenda”.
The report comments: “Europe has been historically poor, compared with other world regions, at translating R&D into products, processes and services, and reversing this trend is central to the Lisbon strategy.” The Lisbon Agenda calls for member states to commit 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) to R&D by the target date of 2010.
The Nanoforum report is available for free download at http://www.nanoforum.org/
