The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Scientist for large-scale investment in nanotechnology

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Thursday, Mar 20, 2008
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Scientist for large-scale investment in nanotechnology

Special Correspondent

Global investment in the field in the last 10 years was $50 billion

— Photo: R.Shivaji Rao

FOCUS ON UPCOMING TECHNOLOGY: A. Sivathanu Pillai, Scientist and Chief Controller R&D, DRDO with Naoki Ikezawa, Chief Industry Specialist, NRI, at a conclave in Chennai on Wednesday.

CHENNAI: If India has to excel in nanotechnology, we need investments in the range of Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore every year, according to A. Sivathanu Pillai, Scientist and Chief Controller, R&D, Defence Research and Development Organisation.

Delivering his keynote address at the third Nanotechnology Conclave 2008, organised here on Wednesday by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Nomura Research Institute (NRI) of Japan, he said the Indian Government had allotted Rs. 1,000 crore to Nano Mission for carrying out research and development over five years. But nanotechnology deserved much more than that.

A sum of Rs. 200 crore had to be distributed among many research institutions. Private players should join hands with research and development wings and academics to create centres of excellence in different parts of the country to produce better and cost-effective technology and capture the nanotech market which, he said, would be worth $1 trillion by 2015.

“We should not miss the current info-tech, biotech and nanotech wave. We have to identify mission management for nanotechnology that would lead to result-oriented products. We need an integrated approach,” he said.

The global investment in nanotechnology in the past 10 years was $50 billion. Last year, Japan invested $800 million, followed by the U.S. with $780 million and the European Union $660 million. “We haven’t recognised the importance of nanotechnology… Our market share is less than five per cent. Energy and water crisis can be solved with nanotechnology. Hence, funding should be on a large scale. The industries should set up at least five foundries in different parts of the country and initiate some work, instead of duplicating the research work done by others,” he said.

State Planning and Development Commissioner A. Nagarajan said the State would co-operate with the Centre in nanotechnology research.

The State was setting up a nanotechnology industrial park, about 60-80 km from Chennai, while Bharathiar University was establishing a centre of excellence for biosciences on an outlay of nearly Rs.18 crore.

Naoki Ikezawa, Chief Industry Specialist of NRI, said many research organisations made different projections about nanotechnology.

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