- Nano start ups can take
cues from the IT world"
Mumbai June 29, 2005
Tim Harper, chief executive officer (CEO) and founder of nano technology
company Cientifica, was hailed by “Time” magazine as “The
Face of European Nanotechnology.” 
Harper is co author of “The Nanotechnology Opportunity Report,” described
by the US National Aeronautical Space Administration as “the defining report
in the field of nanotechnology.
”Nanotechnology has been defined
as the application of science, engineering and technology to novel materials and
devices, including biological and medical applications, to produce products on
a minute scale.
The genesis of nano technology is believed to have
been a speech by American physicist Richard Feynman, who suggested developing
the ability to manipulate atoms and molecules directly by coming up with a set
of one-tenth scale machine tools. These small tools would then help to develop
and operate one-hundredth scale machine tools and so on. In India, 10 universities
are engaged in nano technology research.
Harper, a one-time engineer
at the European Space Agency’s research and development centre at Noordwijk
in the Netherlands, set up the London- headquartered Cientifica in 1997 initially
to meet the advanced needs of the European Space Agency’s astrophysics research
division.
The company publishes reports on nanotechnology developments,
organises events and is associated with public nanotechnology projects. Harper
was in Mumbai recently to partner with the Mumbai-based Yash Infotech. He spoke
to Business Standard on the myths about nano technology and the business itself.
Excerpts:
Where does nanotechnology stand today?
Despite
Richard Feynman making the most famous statement about there being enough room
at the bottom, we could not see anything till the 1980s. We should have called
it nano science then because it was really about knowing what it is all about.
Today, after 46 years, I can say that we know enough science to apply the technology.
Does nanotechnology suffer from an image perception?
It
does, in a number of ways. In the 1980s, popular science fiction books described
nano technology as leading to some kind of nano robots that could enter your body
and cure diseases like cancer. Around 2000, the US set up a National Nano Initiative
and this coincided with the dotcom bust. Venture capitalists rushed into the field,
imagining it would be the next big thing after the dotcom boom. But it doesn’t
work this way.
Any technology is backed by years of research –
look at the evolution of the transistor or even the computer. One good outcome
of the venture capitalists’ encouragement is that an average of $2-$4 billion
is now being invested in universities worldwide engaged in nano research.
What
are the biggest challenges for nano technology?
The perception problem.
Because people cannot understand nano, this technology is a little removed from
the public domain. Companies and governments need to come together and make people
aware of this technology. Nano cannot cure cancer or send people to Mars but it
can help purify water and keep your food fresh for a longer period of time.
Where
is nano technology headed now?
Within the next 10 years, we will be seeing
nano science in universities to a much greater degree than ever before. But most
importantly, we will be seeing its applications in water treatment, drug delivery,
the preservation of food and in the power industry.
In which areas
can the use of nanotechnology prove beneficial?
The major areas of application
right now are medical and pharmaceuticals, information technology, chemicals and
advanced materials. However, if we look at this from an Indian perspective, textiles
are far more significant. So the major applications would be in chemicals (better
catalysts to improve throughput, the use of nano particles in composite materials)
and textiles ( to make cloth stain and crease resistant).
Nano technology
will also affect packaging. For an agriculturally rich nation like India, getting
fresh food to outside markets in peak condition will be very a much a function
of how it is packaged – whether we are talking about ‘smart’ packaging,
for example, the use of gas permeable layers that can expel undesirable gases
such as oxygen while replacing it with nitrogen, or simply being able to detect
a consignment of milk that has been left out on the sun en route to the supermarket.
Does nanotechnology offer an entrepreneur opportunities?
The
nano market is estimated to be worth $3 trillion. One can be tempted to conclude
that there is enough opportunity for everyone to do something nano and expect
big returns. But we need to look beyond those numbers and identify the economics
of our set up.
From a business point of view, we want to make better
things that are cost effective but, at the same time, profitable. Nano technology
when applied in the correct form can result in bigger gains but has the potential
to backfire as well.
Nano technology has resulted in the discovery
of new materials which can be used in a range of industries, from manufacturing
to healthcare. So an entrepreneur who wants to invest in nano technology must
identify what properties of the new material he can exploit. One mistake that
many start ups in nano technology make is that they invest again in the research
of the technology.
A smart businessman will look at the available
technology and tweak it to his benefit. Nano start ups can take cues from the
world of information technology. It took companies like IBM to set up the basic
framework of computers, servers and networks while companies like Fed Ex, United
Parcel Service (UPS) and Amazon used it to their benefit.
Why have
you tied up with Yash Infotech in India?
Nano’s major applications
lie in the manufacturing sector, which is India’s strength. Several companies
in India deal with plastics and textiles and nano applications have immense potential
in areas like polymers, conducting polymers and fibres.
Indian universities
have good nano infrastructure. If you combine this with the human resources, there
is no reason research that can be easily carried out in Mumbai needs to be undertaken
at all in Manhattan.
http://www.business-standard.com/iceworld/storypage_link.php?chklogin=N&autono=192832&lselect=5&leftnm=lmnu9&leftindx=9
- $ 12 b chip unit coming up in AP
Monday,
27 June , 2005, 07:31
Hyderabad: Nano-Tech Silicon India Pvt
Ltd (NTSI), which plans to set up a mega semiconductor fab facility, hopes to
complete the first round of financing and finalise a technology partner within
the next 60 days. (A fab facilty is a silicon wafer manufacturing plant.)
The
financing includes $64-72 million equity; $116-130 million debt and a $150-million
construction fund. The technology partner will invest up to 20 per cent of the
total equity of $160 million, according to Dr P June Min, one of the main promoters
of NTSI.
Speaking to newspersons at the `ground breaking' ceremony
for the semi-conductor fab facility, which is expected to cost over $12 billion
in the next 15-17 years, Dr Min said the Indian contribution of the total investment
would be around $310 million.
Asked if IBM was joining as one of the
leading partners, Dr Min, the South Korean techno-entrepreneur, said, "The
chances are less than 50 per cent now." NTSI has been scouting for both industrial
investors and technology partners.
The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister,
Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, was the chief guest at the project function. He said
the facility (which will be close to the upcoming international airport on the
outskirts of Hyderabad) would trigger a rapid growth in the electronics and semi-conductor
sectors.
NTSI was incorporated on April 25, 2005 by seed financing;
with Dr Min investing 60 per cent of the equity, the Andhra Pradesh Industrial
Infrastructure Corporation 20 per cent and private investors-Jai Ramesh and M.
Prabhakara Rao, 20 per cent each.
According to a press release from
NTSI, one of the leading Indian companies could invest up to 25 per cent of the
total equity of $160 million. A leading Indian bank has accepted to syndicate
$290-million debt financing.
The demand for semi-conductor products
reached $1.2 billion by the end of 2004 in India. The fab facility would contribute
$210 million to the gross domestic product growth of Andhra Pradesh, the release
added.
http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=13882088
- Rutgers, NEI Corp Establish Nanotechnology Research Program
New Brunswick/Piscataway, N.J. | June 28, 2005
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=10286
Rutgers,
The State University of New Jersey, and NEI Corporation, a proven provider of
nanoengineered materials, have established a cooperative research program in nanotechnology
with an Indian government research and development center.
Under the
two-year program, the organizations will explore ways to use nanosized particles
- a thousandth the width of a human hair or less - to make metals harder,
ceramics lighter and stronger, and protective coatings more wear-resistant. These
and other nanoparticle-infused materials that the groups will study could be used
in machine tools, fuel cells, electronic components, medical devices and automobile
finishes.
The program will involve engineers and scientists from Rutgers’
Center for Nanomaterials Research, the International Advanced Research Centre
for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials in Hyderabad, India, and the Piscataway-based
NEI. The initial funding source is a $115,000 grant from the Indo-US Science and
Technology Forum (IUSTF), a New Delhi-based foundation established by the Indian
and U.S. governments in 2000 to promote research, development, and technology
transfer among industry and academia in both countries.
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