Ireland now has its own definition of nanotechnology, so does that mean that there is something wrong with the existing definitions?
Not at all, but when you are putting together a document as well thought through as the ICSTI (Irish Council for Science, Technology & Innovation) statement on Nanotechnology published today, it helps if you can define the scope first.
In fact, a glance at the document illustrates the value of knowing what you are talking about before you open your mouth. A number of consultants, business associations, journalists, venture capitalists and heirs to the British throne should take note.
Nanotechnology is a collective term for a set of tools and techniques that permit the atoms and molecules that comprise all matter to be imaged and manipulated. Using these tools and techniques it is possible to exploit the size-dependent properties of materials structured on the sub-100 nanometer scale, which may be assembled and organised to yield nanodevices and nanosystems that possess new or improved properties. These tools and techniques, materials, devices and systems present companies in all sectors of
the Irish economy with opportunities to enhance their competitiveness by developing new and improved products and processes.