Australia needs to do more to harvest nano-technology benefits: Scientists

The nanotechnology revolution has opened up a whole world of new applications, from medical breakthroughs to more powerful smartphones, Australian scientists say their  country needed to do more to harvest its benefits.

The technology has been projected to generate $3 trillion dollars revenue globally by 2020.

According to scientists, if Australia wanted to capture a substantial share and make nanotechnology an economic driver, it needed to support the entire spectrum of nanotechnology development, including fundamental research. It also needed to guide the technology towards industry in an effective and timely way.

According to professor Chennupati Jagadish from the Australian Academy of Science, a national strategy for nanotechnology development launched yesterday was aimed at improving the ability of Australia to take part in the Asian Century, by putting the nation's capability on the international stage.

The research strategy was launched by senator Kate Lundy, highlighted a range of existing and emerging nanotechnology applications, including eight key recommendations for strategic investment and coordination considered essential for supporting Australian nanotechnology research and effective translation of that research into benefits for the community.

The research strategy highlights the current research strengths of Australia across a spectrum of nanotechnology disciplines and identifies opportunities for the strengths to be leveraged over the coming decade.