Swiss identify US nanotech opportunities

The atomic scale is often the reference for nanotechnology Keystone Archive

A new study has been published to help Swiss companies understand the opportunities on the other side of the Atlantic.

“The US Nanotechnology Environment– where’s the business?” is aimed at small and medium sized businesses.

“There is business to be done in the field of metrology equipment, simulation software, coatings, biotechnology and catalysts,” said David Kouidri, Trade Commissioner, of the Swiss Business Hub in Chicago, and the publisher of the report.

“We believe that Swiss companies need to come over here and get plugged into the regional networks, especially those that cluster around university and national research labs,” he told swissinfo.

He added that by participating in round tables, discussions, and industry events, Swiss small and medium sized firms would meet their future customers and partners.

“When we took delegates from the Nano Business Alliance to Switzerland, the interest in Swiss technology was high,” he said. The whirlwind tour involved visits to IBM Research Lab, Technopark Zurich, and the Nanofair event in St Gallen.

Koidri told swissinfo the introductions led to a number of “requests for proposals” on the spot. In addition, some patents at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology were identified by US visitors as having potential for licensing agreements.

Studying the nano

Today, nanotechnology is a catch-all term for scientific and commercial endeavours involving things that measured in nanometres – anything from crystal thin films to man-made advanced materials and fine powders.

A list of the leading companies in relevant nano sectors is provided at the end of the report. It identifies which states attract the most investment, which ones have the best research and development and the best ways to reach the market.

It points out that venture capital investors are often “overlooked” resources to gain access to “appropriate individuals and companies”. In other words, the US venture capitalists have great networks and they make them available to portfolio companies.

Some hurdles are identified in the report. “The challenge nowadays is to recognize commercial applications of research and to fill in the “nanotechnology ignorance gap”, wrote the authors.

The report is available to members of the Swiss nanotechnology sector. The Chicago Hub also has a database of some 400 firms active in nanotechnologies and it puts out a newsletter, as well as running information portal.

by Valerie Thompson