Bangalore
Centre to give strong push for nanotechnology

Bangalore, Aug. 23 (PTI): The Centre would give a strong push for the growth of nanotechnology, which has potential to lift the quality of life of the poor, C N R Rao, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, has said.

Addressing a function to announce the dates of Bangalore Nano 2007, here last night Rao noted that the Government has made a budgetary provision of Rs 1,000-crore to promote the sector.

"Nanotechnology and science have many potentially valuable societal applications for poor people, including the creation of more efficient filtering systems for producing clean drinking water and the provision of cheap and clean energy (through more efficient solar cells)," he said.

As per the announcement the Bangalore Nano 2007 will be held on December 6 and 7.

The Nano Science and Technology Initiative (NSTI) in India has funded about 100 basic science projects worth Rs 60 crore.

About Rs 20 crore has been released towards establishing six centres for nano science at institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and different IITs.

These centres are aiming at producing useful products or devices within a reasonable time-frame.

Officials said in all, seven IITs and ten universities have been supported under the NSTI.

"The Government of India and States must support through policies and financial grants, research to pursue larger social and environmental goals that could build capacities of our nation", said Rao, also President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research.

Rao said there has been very "good work" from some of the Indian laboratories, particularly from Bangalore, in synthesising and characterising a large variety of new materials and also discovering one or two important phenomena.

Karnataka's Science and Technology Secretary M N Vidyashankar, said nanotechnology has the potential to become a "transformative" technology and its impact could be comparable to that of steam engine in the 18th century, electricity in the 20th century, and internet in modern times.

"Scientists are already developing nano-applications that are radically transforming a host of products and services, including battery-storage capacity, computer-chip minimisation, drug delivery, facial creams, food processing, solar energy, and water purification", he said.

Meanwhile, it was stated that Bangalore Nano 2007 will focus on the integrated roles of technologies, applications and commercialisation of nanotechnology.

The event's theme is "Bridging the Research-Industry Gap in Nanotechnology".

It will create an opportunity for researchers,innovators, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and large business enterprises to showcase the latest advancements in different nanotechnology fields.

The two-day event will enable investors and the industry to pick the technology winners and identify investment opportunities of the future, the officials said.

Bangalore

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