2.OECD Working Party on Nanotechnology 3 WPN-lead Case Studies 1.WATER (OECD makes recommendations to policy makers, members and observers) 2.BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT 3. SOCIETAL DIMENSION (public outreach and public dialogue, points for consideration) 1
1st WPN Case Study: FOSTERING NANOTECHNOLOGY TO ADRESS GLOBAL CHALLENGES : WATER 2
The OECD Horizontal Program on Water Pertains to the Green Growth priority of OECD; Examines the financial needs for water infrastructure Evaluates the available sources of financing How the gap between the two can be bridged, in particular by emerging, off the grids technological solutions WPN has made a contribution available since March 2011 on the basis of technologies for water treatment and resource management 3
Water Treatment Technologies A market of 1.6 billion USD in 2007 expected to reach 6.6 billions USD in 2015(filtration 30%, desalination 23%, irrigation 6%, and as a small but promissing maket : disinfection 4
Nanotechnologies for Water: key challenges 5
The role of policy makers for 2 challenges 1.EHS issues, clarifying potential risks: 2.Technology transfer to the point of use ( more controversial on IPR ) 6
2nd WPN Case Study on Business environment : THE IMPACTS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY ON COMPANIES - Project initiated and developed in 2007, when WPN was established. Interviews with companies to develop detailed case studies commenced in January 2008, finalised in March 2009. Analysis at OECD and through a workshop of participating countries. Published November 2010 7
THE IMPACTS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY ON COMPANIES POLICY INSIGHTS FROM CASE STUDIES Remainder of presentation: 4 points Company characteristics and features Challenges for the commercialization of nanotechnology Main findings from the WPN Survey Policy issues and recommendations 8
Number of companies WPN Survey: Characteristics of case study companies by country: 51 case studies across 17 countries 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 9
WPN Survey: Company characteristics (1) By size: very small to very large From 9 employees to 112,000 (ABB, Nokia & Zeiss) Large (over 250 employees) 31% Small (1-49 employees) 47% Medium (50-249 employees) 22% 10
WPN Survey: Company characteristics (2) Areas of nanotechnology activity case study companies compared to patents 50% 40% Patents Companies 30% 20% 10% 0% Nanobio Nanoelectronics Nanomaterials Instruments, measurement Nanooptics Nanomagnetics 11
WPN Survey: Company characteristics (3) Application of nanotechnology case study companies compared to patents 50% 40% Patents Companies 30% 20% 10% 0% 12
WPN Survey: Company characteristics (4) by size and sub area Nano-bio Nanoelectronics Nanomaterials Instruments measurement Nano-optics Small companies 25% 20% 24% 10% 8% Medium companies 9% 18% 27% 82% 0% Large companies 6% 31% 50% 6% 6% 13
WPN Survey Company characteristics (5) operational areas involving nanotech 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 14
WPN Survey : Sources of Technology 100% 80% In-house R&D 60% For-profit company 40% University 20% Other research institution Government laboratory 0% Small companies Medium companies Large companies Other 15
Challenges: Commercialisation (1) Significant challenges for commercialisation % of all mentioned challenges 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% R&D Human resources Financial IPR Value chains Production Marketing EHS Other regulatory issues 16
Challenges: Commercialisation (2) by company size 35% 30% 25% Small companies Medium companies Large companies 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% R&D Human resources Financial IPR Value chains / business models Production Marketing EHS Other regulatory issues 17
Challenges: Commercialisation (3) by type of nanotechnology Nanobiotech Nanomaterials Nanoelectronics Instruments, measurement 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 18
Challenges: Barriers to entry (1) The larger companies in the sample seem well placed to assimilate nanotechnology based on their existing critical mass in R&D and production, their ability to acquire and operate expensive instrumentation and use external knowledge. This finding on the relative strength of larger companies in the early phases of nanotechnology developments runs counter to the traditional model of company dynamics and technology lifecycles 19
Challenges : Barriers to entry (2) Nanotechnology is a complex field depending on various scientific disciplines, research/engineering approaches and advanced instrumentation. Further, many nanotechnology sub-areas are in an early, immature, phase of development. These features of nanotechnology can often create barriers to entry especially for smaller companies that have limited human and other resources. They also contribute to the poor process scalability of nanoscale engineering during the transition from R&D to pilot and industrial scale production 20
Challenges : Human resources There are difficulties in recruiting appropriate human resources, especially for R&D and production activities There is a need for gatekeepers who combine specialist and general knowledge and can also manage interdisciplinary teams. These people are particularly difficult to find 21
Challenges : Funding R&D Many companies identified challenges in funding R&D and related activities, in particular for business start-ups The poor process scalability of R&D increases costs and prolongs new product development times Uncertain regulatory environments and public perceptions of nanotechnology s environmental, health and safety (EHS) risks add further complications to the funding of R&D 22
Challenges : Value Chains Entry and positioning in value chains is complicated by factors including : The novelty of nanotechnology The established interests of stakeholders Is it often difficult to communicate the value proposition of applications of nanotech to potential customers (e.g. other companies) This challenge is greater for smaller companies that experiment with multiple applications and have to monitor many different industries and business environments 23
Challenges for Policy Makers (1) A one size fits all policy for nanotechnology may not be the best approach Policies adapted to different application types (energy, health etc) may be more helpful Both large and small companies are active in nanotechnology But many national policies for nanotechnology focus on small and start-up companies Government policies may need to address companies of all sizes There are a range of commercialisation challenges Some apply more to small companies, rather than large companies Others apply to certain sub-areas of nanotech 24
Challenges for Policy Makers (2) Many of the challenges are related For example technical barriers, R&D funding, human resources, manufacturing issues and EHS concerns may all be linked However, different government agencies may be responsible for these policies Thus Governments need to co-ordinate agencies and strategies 25
Challenges for Policy Makers (3) Commercialisation, particularly, presents many challenges. Poor process scalability is well recognised Companies benefit from support for manufacturing technologies process technologies And infrastructure ( for example instrumentation, clean rooms, centres of excellence) Education of both specialists and generalists to assist development and commercialisation of nanotechnology Facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations Vocational training in nanoscale manufacturing 26
Challenges for Policy Makers (4) Other and emerging challenges include: Regulatory uncertainty IPR - in particular existing very broad patents, and patent thickets Funding particularly for commercialisation, including venture capital Lack of data on nanotech companies and activity - case studies are important sources of information 27
3rd WPN Survey (to be declassified in 2011) Societal dimension of nanotechnology Point Action A report on Outreach and Public Engagement as a planning guide for beginners in the field 8 points for consideration identified and tested on participating countries 1 Identify the context 2 Be clear about your objective(s) 3 Identify the participants 4 Plan the process 5 Select the activity 6 Identify the organisers 7 Know your goals/ recognise success 8 Learn and adapt 28
Ex: Be clear about your objectives Objective Examples of questions Communication about nanotechnology, its application and impacts Is your aim: Information exchange Exchange of experiences / good practices around nanotechnology and current developments Understanding opinions Exploring a specific aspect of nanotechnology Other? Monitoring or evaluation Are you engaging in: Monitoring of public attitudes to nanotechnology Evaluation of an awareness-raising campaign Counting audience figures (e.g. TV) Other? Exploration of a specific issue Is your need for: Debate on a scientific issue or application of nanotechnology to a sector or issue (e.g. nanomedicine, nano and energy, nano and food) Other? Developing capacities Are you seeking to develop: Capacities in science and innovation, networking capacity? Other? Achieving a specific goal Is your target: Achieving a specific level of knowledge amongst the target group, benefiting from local knowledge exchange Developing or implementing a new practice Gathering views on a proposal or initiative e.g. gathering public input for policy-making)? 29
Main Conclusions of the WPN Report on public engagement To date, in most of the participating countries, discussion of nanotechnology has been limited to people directly engaged in the field and specialists. But with increasing support from governments, national communication plans are being organised to engage more broadly with the general public. In South Africa for example, there are many fairly new but ongoing activities which aim to engage all stakeholders playing a role in nanotechnology development, including industry, media, interest groups, school learners, school educators, children and the general public. This growing effort from governments to engage in communication activities in science and technology arises from the priority that STI has on many political agendas today, where science and technology are expected to play an increasingly important role in economic growth and social welfare. One example is in Ireland, where nanotechnology has been recognised as a key enabling technology at the policy level. The public is playing a strong role in the acceptance or rejection of the new technology. Therefore, public awareness and outreach is an important topic for policy makers when building STI governance strategies. 30
OECD Working Party on Nanotechnology WPN Reports Fostering Nanotechnology to Address Global Challenges: Water (2011) The Impacts of Nanotechnology on Companies: Policy Insights from Case Studies (2010 ) Nanotechnology: An Overview Based on Indicators and Statistics (STI Working Paper 2009/7) Inventory of National Science, Technology and Innovation Policies for Nanotechnology 2008 Access via website: www.oecd.org/sti/nano 31