Robert Bradbury brings our attention to Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2006. He writes: “Though the abstract mentions cutting the NNI by 2.5% to $1.1B the report itself mentions nanotechnology 4 times and several of those are in the context of specific areas that are to receive increased funding (so it isn’t clear to me… Continue reading Confusion on 2006 NNI budget
Also in the Summer 2005 Issues in Science and Technology is an article from Environmental Defense giving many recommendations for improved nanotech policies, including: “Develop corporate standards of care. Even under the most optimistic scenario, it appears unlikely that federal agencies will put into place adequate provisions for nanomaterials quickly enough to address the materials… Continue reading Corporate standards of care needed for nanotech
ETC Group has issued a new 36-page report on Nanotech’s “Second Nature” Patents: Implications for the Global South (pdf), summarized in a two-page news release (pdf). The report lists various concerns about nanotech patents, including from Stanford’s Mark Lemley and the Nanobusiness Alliance, but the primary issue for ETC is access for poor countries. Multiple… Continue reading Reforming nanotech patents: proposals of varying practicality
Small Times CEO Patti Glaza writes: “The nanotechnology industry needs to be able to compartmentalize itself, so that if and when the first widespread negative impact of nanotechnology is felt, people only demand the end to the harmful (or perceived harmful) applications and not demand the end of beneficial forms of nanotechnology too.” Indeed. Companies… Continue reading Small Times CEO to nanotech industry: Compartmentalize
[Update: Welcome, Instapundit readers. If you would like future nanotech news emails, just type your email address in the “Free Registration” box to the right.–CP] In the Summer 2005 Issues in Science and Technology, two of the primary White House advocates for the original U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative, Neal Lane and Tom Kalil, issue a… Continue reading Original NNI advocates issue warning plus 8 recommendations
Just back from a meeting of ICON in Houston (agenda in PDF format). I went out a day early to sit in on a meeting focused on Rice University’s CBEN, which included a high-level summary of their research plus some in-depth examples. Especially impressive was the research on gold nanoshells to treat cancer, and work… Continue reading CBEN: near-term nanotech for health and environment
Last Thursday I spoke at a Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition conference on nanotech, at which Jim Thomas of the ETC Group also spoke. While we agree that nanoparticles need better testing and regulation, one of the ETC handouts, A Tiny Primer on Nano-scale Technologies, illustrates the risks of making policy recommendations that aren’t quite fully… Continue reading ETC nanotech policy would ban most processed food
A new report on environmental, health, and safety (EHS) risks from nanotechnology: “Lux Research, one of a handful of investment advisory firms that focuses on nanotechnology companies, said corporations including Lockheed Martin and Kraft Foods Inc. spent $3.8 billion on nanotech research and development last year. Yet, it said corporate EHS officers are ‘mostly unaware… Continue reading Lux Research warns of nanotech risks
We’re adding more speakers continually, but a preliminary list is now posted for the 13th Foresight Conference on Advanced Nanotechnology this Oct. 22-27 in San Francisco. Choose your area(s) of focus: the first two days give the big picture (Vision), the next two are on Applications & Policy, and the last two are on Research.… Continue reading Speaker list now up for Foresight Conference
The attitude taken by insurance companies toward nanotech will have a major impact on the field. The OECD and Allianz, an insurance firm, have published a study on the opportunities and risks of nanotechnology (available in pdf format, 2.7 MB). From the announcement: “Allianz believes that it would not be appropriate to create a general… Continue reading Risks and rewards of nanotechnology, from OECD and Allianz
