Archive for the ‘Nanotech’ Category
Thursday, August 25th, 2011
 Global nanotechnology research funding is running at $10 billion per year, according to a new report from Electronics.ca Publications. Since the US National Nanotechnology Initiative was announced in 2000, almost every developed and developing economy has initiated national nanotechnology programs. The world’s governments currently spend $10 billion per year on nanotechnology research and development, with that figure set to grow by 20% over the next three years.
By the end of 2011, the total government funding for nanotechnology research worldwide will be $65 billion, rising to $100 billion by 2014. When figures for corporate research and various other forms of private funding are taken into account, which were thought to have surpassed government funding figures as far back as 2004, it is estimated that nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars will have been invested into nanotechnology by 2015.
In 2011, China’s nanotech funding will have surpassed the US. With US government funding of nanotechnology receding slightly in 2011, this marks the first time in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) estimates that China will spend more than the US in funding of nanotechnology.
U.S. outspending others
This year, according to estimates, in PPP terms China will spend US$2.25 billion in nanotechnology research while the US will spend US$2.18 billion. However, in real dollar terms, adjusted for currency exchange rates, China is only spending about US$1.3 billion to the US’s $2.18 billion. But China is not the first country to outspend the United States. Japan and Russia have also managed to snatch a temporary lead before falling back. In absolute terms the United States still comprehensively outspends everyone else.
A clear trend is emerging: while nanotechnology research spending in Europe and North America is still rising, the fast growth rates are seen in Asia. Asian investment in nanotechnologies was poised to be largest in the world until RusNano was formed with its huge budget.
Simply looking at the amount of funding, whether in raw dollars or PPP corrected, fails to tell the whole story. Just because a country throws huge amounts of money at research it does not necessarily follow that the research conducted will have an impact on the economy.
Some countries have excellent research institutions but little in the way of industry-academic cooperation, while others may have large companies who spend little on R&D. In order to obtain a more accurate picture of which economies are best placed to translate research funding into an economic benefit, data from the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Competitiveness Report was used.
The rankings in the Global Competitiveness Report are calculated from both publicly available data and the Executive Opinion Survey, a comprehensive annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum together with its network of Partner Institutes (leading research institutes and business organizations) in the countries covered by the report.
By combining macroeconomic data such as overall global competitiveness, quality of scientific institutions, capacity for innovation and levels of company spending on R&D with a number of other relevant factors we are able to produce an Emerging Technology Exploitation Factor, a measure of the economic impact of emerging technologies, and the efficiency and likelihood of translating technology funding into the economy.
Fierce competition with other technologies
In general, the US, Germany, Taiwan and Japan have the combination of academic excellence, technology hungry companies, skilled workforce and availability of early stage capital which ensures effective technology transfer.
While this measure holds true for a wide range of research based technologies, it takes no account of the level of nanotechnology funding which varies widely across different countries. When PPP corrected funding levels are factored in, the picture changes dramatically.
Rebasing the Nanotech Impact Factor on the US (=100) gives a clearer picture of where researchers expect the technology to have the greatest impact. Of course in the US, the nanotechnology is in fierce competition with any number of other technologies, from synthetic biology to social networking, while in Russia it is a very high level stand alone project.
Tags: China, Electronics.ca publications, Germany, Japan, nanntechnology research spending, Report, Taiwan
Posted in Nanotech, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Thursday, August 18th, 2011
 Dr. Anthony Atala, director, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, will participate in the COMS event GREENSBORO, NC – North Carolina is one of a handful of developing major centers for nanotechnology commercialization, a fact highlighted by the state’s hosting the annual Commercialization of Micro-Nano Systems Conference (COMS) in Greensboro, NC, Aug. 28-31, says Scott Bryant, executive director of MANCEF, the industry trade organization sponsoring the event.
It features appearances by NC Sen. Kay Hagan, Dr. Joseph DeSimone of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Dr. Anthony Atala, he W.H. Boyce Professor, Director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Chair of the Department of Urology at Wake Forest University, among others.
The state of North Carolina is one of the few regions “with a general density (of nanotechnology activity) that’s impressive, Bryant told the TechJournal in an interview.
Bryant says nanotechnology could generate the same kind of money as the more advanced field of micro-tech already is. “Lots of companies are making money on the micro side and nanotechnology has the same potential,” he says.
Nanotech, however, is finding many of its potential uses in the life sciences rather than electronics, “But there is lots of nascent stuff that’s going to be fabulous,” he adds. That includes such things as regenerative medicine, which has a firm footprint at Wake Forest University in Greensboro under the direction of the internationally known Dr. Atlala.
Bryant says Fortune 500 firms are already using nanotech to redesign products, but “It gets missed because it’s just not visible.”
The future for nanotech is bright, though, he says. The famed physicist Richard Feynman once said of nanotechnology, “There’s lots of room at the bottom.”
Bryant says such technologies as carbon nanotubes may “Redefine the paper and steel industries with composites and other materials.”
Nanotechnology does present problems to researchers. Physics and formulas are different at the ultra-tiny level of nanotech and that requires relearning or unlearning some things. It’s also, Bryant points out, “A multidisciplinary field.” So it presents a challenge in workforce development. “We need to break out of the silos of education,” he says.
Conferences such as the upcoming COMS event helps advance the field, Bryant says. “The world comes to you and deals get made.”
That’s certainly true of this event. Jim Roberts, director of business development at North Carolina’s Center of Innovation for Nanobiotechnology (COIN), local host of the event, tells us that it has people attending from Argentina, Brazil, Singapore, the UK, Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Korea, Australia, Switzerland, France, Finland, Japan, and Canada. — Allan Maurer
SEE ALSO:
Major Nanotech event brings global attention to NC
Tags: Allan Maurer, Anthony Atala, COIN, Commercialization of Micro-Nano Systems Conference, COMS, Dr., Dr. Joseph DeSimone, Greensboro, Jim Roberts, NC Sen. Kay Hagan, Scott Bryant
Posted in Carolinas, Events, Nanotech, North Carolina | Comments Off
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
 Joseph DeSimone RESEARCH TRIANGLE, NC – When Jim Roberts joined the NC Center of Innovation for Nanobiotechnology (COIN) last summer, he needed a quick introduction to nanotechnology. So COIN sent him to the Commercialization of Micro-nano Systems Conference (COMS), held that year in New Mexico. Roberts discovered that plans for the 2011 conference had fallen through.
The organizers of COMS told Roberts, who has always been quick to capitalize on economic development opportunities, that if North Carolina could raise $50,000 it could put on the event, which is the premiere industry conference. Houston was also in the running. “We raised $53,000 and landed the event,” he says. “It’s a big win for the Centers of Innovation created by the NC Biotechnology Center.”
So, The annual Commercialization of Micro-Nano Systems Conference (COMS 2011) being held Aug 28-31 in Greensboro. It has shaped up to be a who’s who of the micro-nano technology (MNT) community, bringing together leaders in North Carolina with those from around the globe. Plenary Speakers include: Anthony Atala, MD, Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD and Paul M. Zavracky, PhD.
Dr. Anthony Atala, director, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Dr. Atala is the W.H. Boyce Professor, Director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Chair of the Department of Urology at Wake Forest University. Dr. Atala is a practicing surgeon and a key thought leader in regenerative medicine. His current breakthroughs include the world’s first engineered urethras using 3D printers to engineer human kidneys in a laboratory, and he is currently working to launch the Virginia Tech/Wake Forest Center for Veterinary Regenerative Medicine.
Dr. DeSimone is the Chancellor’s Eminent Professor of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and William R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering, North Carolina State University. DeSimone is also an adjunct member at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Nanofab techniques for biomedicine
His research group is focused on nanofabrication techniques translated from the semiconductor industry that enables the manufacture of highly uniform nanoparticles with precise size and shape.
This process, called Particle Replication in Non-Wetting Templates (PRINT), is currently being commercialized for biomedical applications through the spin-out company Liquidia Technologies, which has a PRINT-enabled flu vaccine therapeutic in clinical development.
Dr. Zavracky, President of North American and European Operations at MEMSIC Corporation, has more than 30 years of business, scientific and academic experience, serving most recently as Dean of Northeastern University’s School of Technological Entrepreneurship.
Prior to that, he co-founded The MicroOptical Corporation and, while serving as president and COO, developed two-axis MEMS micro-mirrors and successfully launched the company’s military, medical and consumer head-mounted display businesses. Earlier in his career, he was a member of the founding team and COO of Kopin Corporation, where he spearheaded its development of silicon on insulator (SOI) materials and SOI MEMS devices.
Former Gov. Jim Hunt, Sen. Kay Hagan delivering keynotes
 NC Sen. Kay Hagan Demonstrating the support for these important emerging technologies, James Hunt, Governor of North Carolina (1977-1985; 1993-2001) and Kay R. Hagan, United States Senator for North Carolina, will deliver keynote addresses. Also speaking is Sally Tinkle, PhD, Acting Director, National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology Subcommittee, Committee on Technology National Science and Technology Council.
The NNI brings together the expertise needed to advance this broad and complex field—creating a framework for shared goals, priorities, and strategies that help each participating Federal agency leverage the resources of all participating agencies. With the support of the NNI, nanotechnology R&D is taking place in academic, government, and industry laboratories across the United States. MANCEF is not only proud to welcome these distinguished members of the policy making bodies to COMS, but also welcomes members of the triple helix; Education, Government and Industry, to join us in leading the next revolution of emerging technologies.
North Carolina is already a top player in nanotechnology, ranked fourth behind only Silicon Valley, Boston, and Houston. It is poised to become one of the major centers in the field, according to industry experts. Landing the COMS event for the state is a significant step.
Tags: Anthony Atala, COIN, Commercializaiton of Micro-Nano Systems Conference 2011, COMS, Greensboro, Jim Roberts, Joseph DijSimone, naofabrication, NC, NC Biotechnology Center, NC State University, Paul M. Zavracky, Sen. Kay Hagan, UNC Chapel Hill
Posted in Carolinas, Events, Nanotech, North Carolina | Comments Off
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011
 DURHAM, NC – The Center of Innovation for Nanobiotechnolgy (COIN)will be hosting a new offering―a private pitch and strategy coaching session with a team of seasoned investors―at the 2011 North Carolina Nanotechnology Commercialization Conference(NCNCC).
Interested participants can sign up for a 30-minute slot with experts to pitch their business and technology, receiving feedback and guidance in addressing tough questions. Slots are offered to registered NCNCC attendees on the afternoon of March 29th from 2 pm until 5 pm.
This offering is part of NCNCC, a day-and-a-half conference that is organized by NC Commerce, is in its 3rd year and typically draws approximately 300+ leading nanobiotech and nanotech experts from industry and academia to address key commercialization issues.
Nanomedicine entrepreneurs face significant challenges in building their business and developing inventions into marketable platform technology or products. This new dedicated “One on One with Investors: Pitch Strategy Discourse with Experts” offering will be a significant value-add for the conference, helping companies overcome stumbling blocks before they approach investors.
“No entrepreneur wants to be stuck in the starting gate simply because potential customers don’t understand or value their product,” said John Hardin, Executive Director of NC Commerce’s Office of Science and Technology.
“Discourse like what these sessions will offer is critical for helping entrepreneurs understand what appeals to the market and how best to position their products to maximize sales. I expect many of the entrepreneurs will consider these sessions to be some of the most valuable 30 minutes they spend in the course of taking their product to market.”
COIN is working with NC Commerce to increase the nanomedicine track of the NCNCC, and this “One on One with Investors: Pitch Strategy Discourse with Experts” offering will be one of several new elements that will debut at the 2011 conference. In addition to the pitch sessions, COIN will offer an add-on workshop the morning of March 29th titled: “Actionable Strategies for Company Building and Moving to Market.”
Conference attendees can sign up for a 30-minute slot with experts to make their funding presentation detailing their company or new venture’s business and technology and receive feedback and help answering the tough questions. Participating experts include: Bill Warner from Paladin Associates, Nick Wachtel from Lux Capital, Mike Elliot from Noro Moseley, Joe Velk from Contender Capital and Rob Tyler of Poyner Spruill. The cost to participants is included in NCNCC registration. To reserve these coveted spaces, please email: events@nc-coin.org with the title “NCNCC One on One Request”.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: COIN, entrepreneur sessions, nanomedicine, Nanotech, nanotech commercialization, NCNCC
Posted in Carolinas, Events, Nanotech, North Carolina | Comments Off
Friday, March 4th, 2011
 RESEARCH TRIANGLE, NC – Liquidia Technologies, a nanotechnology firm, has received a $10 million investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The financing follows Liquidia’s partnership in a global campaign against malaria, one of the Gates’ Foundation’s targets.
Liquidia, founded by UNC-CH and NCSU professor Joseph DeSimone in 2004, became a partner in the global PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative last month.
The Gates investment will be used for the development of vaccines and therapeutic treatments. Venture-backed Liquidia has raised $25 million.
“We are delighted the Gates Foundation has decided to join an outstanding group of investors that share our confidence in the potential of PRINT technology to improve vaccine delivery and effectiveness,” said Neal Fowler, Liquidia’s CEO. “As the field of vaccines continues to grow, success will be defined by our ability to produce and deliver highly efficacious therapies in quantities and costs that will support the global demand.”
Doug Holtzman, deputy director for the infectious diseases team at the foundation, said, “Funding innovation is a key to addressing the unmet health needs of the world’s poorest people. This unique investment partnership will help us advance vaccine development as part of our commitment to help research, develop and deliver vaccines for the world’s poorest countries.”
Liquidia is developing a nano-manufacturing technology called PRINT, that enable development of precisely engineered particles for use safer and more effiecient delivery of drugs and vaccines.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Joseph DeSimone, Liquidia, nanotech particles for drug and vaccine delivery, nanotechnology, NC, PRINT technology, Research Triangle, vaccines
Posted in Carolinas, Healthcare, IT, Money, Nanotech, North Carolina | Comments Off
Monday, February 7th, 2011
 COLLEGE PARK, MD – Pixelligent Technologies, a company developing nanotechnology applications in optical lithography and nanocomposites for the semiconductor and microelectronics markets, has rasied $425,000 in equity, according to a regulatory filing.
The 2006 former Maryland Incubator of the Year nanotechnology company raised $2 million from angel investors, a West Coast entrepreneur, and the company’s management team in 2009.
Founded in 2000, it has also received $8.2 million in grants from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Science Foundation, which is very significant federal grant money.
The company says its technologies extend the use of current chip manufacturing technology, promising improved performance and cost savings for chip makers.
It has also developed a process to enhance phtoelectrochemical hydrogen production while increasing the reliability of the process. This breakthrough could result in significantly cheaper fuel that could be used in many applications including, powering vehicles.
Tags: chip tech, College Park, financing, hydrogen fuel, MD, nanotechnology, Pixelligent Technologies
Posted in Hardware, Maryland, Nanotech, Potomac | Comments Off
Monday, January 10th, 2011
DURHAM, NC – The area around the American Tobacco Campus is Durham is rapidly becoming the trendy place to be for Triangle-based tech focused start-ups and tech focused organizations alike. Now, the NC Center of Innovation for Nanobiotechnology (COIN) is relocating it headquarters from Raleigh to The Venable Center, a renovated tobacco warehouse about three blocks from the American Tobacco Campus.
It follows the CED (formerly the NC Council for Entrepreneurial Development), which relocated from Research Triangle Park (much of which is also in Durham, but lacks the kinds of amenities available in the downtown Durham area) to the American Underground on the American Tobacco Campus itself. We also recently reported that several new companies located in the American Underground.
There have even been rumors that open source software firm Red Hat was considering a move to the American Tobacco Campus.
Brooks Adams, COIN’s executive director, notes: “Durham is a hub of entrepreneurial activity, and COIN will now be situated adjacent to the CED, Square 1 Bank, and Intersouth Partners at the American Tobacco Campus and also near numerous biotech startups.”
The Venable Center’s location at 303 South Roxboro Street is on a main thoroughfare in downtown Durham.
COIN will be located in Suite 30 in a structure that was built in 1952 as the shipping and receiving warehouse for the Venable Tobacco Company. The office totals 2400 square feet and has space for events that can accommodate 30 seated or 70 standing guests. The office also has an “open innovation bullpen,” sponsored by Kymanox, where COIN’s team of interns, contractors, visiting partners and members can congregate.
Tags: American Tobacco Campus, American Underground, Brooks Adams, Center of Innovation for Nanobiotechnology, Venable Center
Posted in Biotech, Carolinas, Nanotech, North Carolina | Comments Off
Thursday, January 6th, 2011
 RESEARCH TRIANGLE, NC – A number of players in the growing North Carolina nanotechnology sector tell us the state is poised to become a major hub for the science of the ultra-small. Here’s more evidence that it is already achieving a national reputation. The Commercialization of Micro-Nano Systems Conference 2011 will be held in Greensboro, North Carolina, August 28 – 31.
North Carolina is a hotbed of small technology activity; with 35 nanotech university research centers, over 80 nanobiotech and nanotechnology companies, home of the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, Semiconductor Research Corporation, world renowned engineering programs at the University of North Carolina & Duke University, global leaders like Coventor, RF Micro Devices, Inc and MEMSCAP; no other region in the world is such a highly concentrated hub of MNT action.
Key industries include advanced manufacturing, aerospace and aviation, automotive, biopharmaceuticals, defense, energy, financial services, software and information technology as well as textiles.
With the support of Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and the NC Center of innovation for Nanobiotechnology (NC COIN), COMS 2011 will offer attendees unparalleled access to top business leaders and opportunities in this dynamic region.
Tags: COIN, COMS, Coventor, Duke University, Greensboro, Memscap, Nanotech, NC, RF Micro Devices, RTI, UNC
Posted in Carolinas, Events, Nanotech, North Carolina | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011
RALEIGH, NC – The Center of Innovation for Nanobiotechnology (COIN) has scheduled its third Executive Roundtable event to be hosted at the RTP Foundation Building in Research Triangle Park, NC on January 18, 2011.
The focus of this Roundtable will be unique issues of commercializing nanobiotech analytical tools with presentations by the nanotools companies Izon Science, NanoInk and NanoSight.
Nanotools companies are among the emerging key players in the nanobio ecosystem.
COIN has invited these companies to tell about their platforms as well as to talk in a panel format about their company’s commercial path and to discuss their perspectives on growth opportunities in the nanobio field.
Nanotool companies making presentations:
NanoInk, Inc., an emerging growth technology company specializing in nanometer-scale manufacturing and applications development for the life sciences, engineering, pharmaceutical, and education industries
NanoSight which provides a unique technology to visualize and size nano-scale particles in liquid down to 10 nm with little preparation and at low cost
Izon Science, a nanotechnology company which has developed instrumentation for nanoscale particle analysis
Each company representative will deliver a 10-minute talk followed by a panel discussion moderated by Miles Wright of Xanofi. The talks will have an element of explaining what the technology does, but will be heavily focused on commercialization, addressing issues such as establishing a customer base, trends they see in their spaces, and how their platforms play into the larger nanobiotech ecosystem.
The NanoBio Executive Roundtable event will be held at the RTP Foundation Building (12 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC) on January 18, 2011 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
A networking reception that facilitates connections that lead to collaborations and new business relationships.
COIN is a non-profit that promotes commercialization of nanobiotechnology in North Carolina and beyond. The opportunity represented by the myriad applications of nanobiotechnology in key life science and medical product sectors for the state is significant. COIN’s programs and services are designed to help accelerate innovation management and new product development and commercialization.
To register for this free event, contact Clare Valcore at events@nc-coin.org.
Tags: COIN, Executive Roundtable event, Izon Science, Nanoink, NanoSight, Nanotech, nanotools, NC, Raleigh
Posted in Biotech, Carolinas, Events, Nanotech, North Carolina | Comments Off
Wednesday, December 15th, 2010
By Allan Maurer
 RALEIGH, NC – Xanofi, a company introducing a new platform for “faster, cheaper and better” nanofiber production, has launched with serial entrepreneur Miles Wright as founder and CEO.
Wright tells TechJournal South that the five-employee company started in stealth mode in September and is privately funded. The seed round, which is yet to be completed, should take it through next year when it will likely seek a Series A round of funding, says Wright.
Wright has more than 20 years of start-up experience in several fields, including building a 65,000 square foot, 150 person manufacturing plant from the ground up. Wright’s previous successful launches include Accugraphics, Eyebeam, Signature Publishing, and MCW Properties, in addition to developing new technology for CoastMaster.
Wright says that North Carolina has the opportunity to become a leader in nanotechnology. “We could become a center for nanotechnologies,” he says.
Xanofi, using technology derived from seven years of research at North Carolina State University, is offering several nanotech products, including XanoShear, which creates polymeric fibers with shear force in liquids, an inherently simple and efficient design that also accepts a wide range of additives to create functionalized fibers (fibers that have coatings, additives or other enhancements).
Nanofibers have applications in medicine, protective clothing, sensors, filters, batteries, and research. They may one day be woven into clothing to provide power to electronic devices.
Currently, most commercial nanofibers are created by electrospinning and meltblowing, two technologies that are mechanically harsh and require significant energy cost. XanoShear can reduce production energy costs by 75 percent and the overall cost of fiber production by 50 percent, Wright says
Production yields from a single lab prototype machine is over 20 times greater than electrospinning, with research demonstrating possible increases over 100x.
Leading the scientific team is Dr. Orlin Velev, principal investigator in charge of developing the XanoShear process.
In the spring of 2011, Xanofi will begin commercial production of fibers for clients and will seek ISO certification.
“Our business model is to partner with companies that need nanotechnologies incorporated into their products but don’t want the distraction or capital expense of becoming nanofiber production companies themselves,” says Wright.
“By having a process that can produce very high yields of fibers, a wide range of polymers to address the various markets and multiple means of delivery, Xanofi will become an important and trusted supplier that makes enhanced products commercially viable.”
The company name has an interesting origin.
Its Web site describes it this way: “We started with ‘nano’ but felt too many companies have nano in their name. We added the universal mathematics symbol X to signify scalability…Xano. This also reminds us of the Coleridge poem Kubla Khan and the better world of Xanadu. We finished it off with ‘fi’ on the backend because we make fibers. Xanofi – a scalable nanofiber company that wants to make the world a better place.”
The company currently is building large-scale commercial equipment and seeking to identify partners in a variety of industries.
Tags: Miles Wright, nanofibers, nanotechnology, NCSU, Orlin Velev, Xanofi
Posted in Carolinas, Nanotech, North Carolina, University Tech | Comments Off
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