The Hindu Business Line : ‘Do not miss out on the nanotech revolution’

Chennai, March 19 In less than a decade, the industry for the use of materials developed with nano technology will be trillion-dollar big. Is India paying enough attention to this huge opportunity? No, says Dr A. Sivathanu Pillai, Distinguished Scientist and Chief Controller, R&D, DRDO.

“We missed the industrial revolution, perhaps because we were under foreign rule. But we must not miss the nanotech revolution,” Dr Pillai said, at Nanotechnology Conclave 2008, a two-day conference organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry and Nomura Research Institute, Japan.

Only last year, did the Government allot Rs 1,000 crore to be invested over the next five years in nano technology. Rs 200 crore per year is paltry, Dr Pillai said, noting that even that sum when distributed among many research institute would amount to practically nothing.

However, the industry has a lot to gain from being present in nano technology. The opportunities afforded by this technology — be it in the area of healthcare or consumer electronics or defence equipment — are immense.

Defence

The Defence itself would be big buyer of nano materials, he said. For example, soldiers in remote areas such as Siachen would need ‘smart vests’ made of nano materials which can monitor their body conditions and send reports back to a doctor at the nearest base. The DRDO has done some work in developing these materials, he said.

Dr Pillai stressed it would be unwise if several institutions ended up doing research in same areas of nano technology. This would result in spreading the resources thin and duplication of research. He called for “an integrated approach” to developing centres of excellence in nano technology across the country.

“We need a mission bound management structure with a well defined blue-print. Centres of excellence should focus on different aspects of nano technology in order to avoid duplication of research,” he said.

“We need annual spending of Rs 5,000 crore on nano technology and this is possible only with industry investment.” Global investment in nano technology is about $50 billion (Rs 2 lakh crore) and the US alone has invested about $1 billion (Rs 4,000 crore) last year towards nano technology research and development.

He said the industry must look beyond the risks involved in backing new technology. By 2015, the market size for nano technology would be $1 trillion (both in the civil and defence space) with materials, electronics and healthcare generating business.

Additionally, the business opportunity for selling products that contain nano technology would be $3 trillion, he said. While information technology and bio technology have helped global economies grow by 35 per cent and 25 per cent, nano technology would help growth by 50 per cent, he said.

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