Nanotechnology Showcase

"The benefits of nanotechnology are influencing sectors of the economy as diverse as cosmetics, glass manufacture and medical supplies… Looking ahead, nanotechnology has the potential to change many aspects of our lives"

London
02 October 2008

CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

Good morning. I'm delighted to participate in an event which highlights this country's leading role in the dynamic field of nanotechnology.

Science enriches our lives and adds value to the economy. On visits to Oxonica, Teer Coatings and Qinetiq, I've seen how UK companies - together with UK universities - are harnessing the potential of nanotechnology and I am glad to see that they are all represented here today.

In recent years, we've seen the introduction of stain repellent fabrics, thanks to advances in nanotech fibres; improved fire safety, through the use of nano clay; cheap and simple purification treatments that provide clean water, thanks to the development of nanosilver and nanopolymer membranes.

The benefits of nanotechnology are influencing sectors of the economy as diverse as cosmetics, glass manufacture and medical supplies. We now have bouncier tennis balls and - reportedly - underwear that doesn't require washing; I'm not sure how true this is, being the parent of a 10-year-old son.

Looking ahead, nanotechnology has the potential to change many aspects of our lives, as the next generation of materials offer new possibilities in, say, the production of solar energy, in the development of body armour and the growth of artificial human muscle. In IT, we can look forward to smaller circuits and faster computers with longer life-spans. As the American scientist, Robert Merkle, has forecast: "Nanotechnology will let us build computers that are incredibly powerful. We'll have more power in the volume of a sugar cube than exists in the entire world today."

Exploiting the best that nanotechnology has to offer

Without question, nanotechnology offers major opportunities for UK businesses - in manufacturing, in bioscience, in the low-carbon economy and in sectors we're yet to anticipate.

This is something at which we excel, through the strength of our research base, our entrepreneurial skill, through our willingness to collaborate internationally - and we must continue to do so.

Today, I want to focus on two areas which I believe are essential to this country making the most of what nanotechnology might offer.

First, our ongoing strength will depend on maintaining our world-leading role in research - staying at the forefront of scientific inquiry, its commercial application and efforts to ensure the safety of new products and processes.

Second, it will rely on all parties involved in nanotech - across industry, academia and Government itself - continuing to engage constructively with the general public: reporting research findings; discussing business developments, explaining health and safety measures, and addressing concerns.

Research

Let me start with research, which arguably underpins everything else.

Over the past 10 years, the Research Councils have distributed more than £400 million for projects involving nanotechnology and nanoscience.

The Research Councils are currently funding a number of Interdisciplinary Research Centres, that are undertaking pioneering work with access to first-class infrastructure. They're all about achieving the critical mass necessary to compete with the best facilities abroad - and include an exciting collaboration between Bristol, UCL and Cambridge, whose Professor Windle is speaking here today.

Through the Technology Strategy Board, over £100 million has gone to collaborative R&D programmes, and to 23 Micro-Nano Technology Centres. Together, these centres comprise a network that's the foundation for a prosperous MNT sector in the UK. Their purpose is to lower entry barriers and drive the market development and exploitation of these technologies.

We are maintaining these levels of investment. As part of the latest record science budget, the Research Councils have committed an additional £50 million, which will fund projects where nanotechnology has the potential to deliver breakthroughs in healthcare and renewable energy.

While boosting our domestic capability represents a strategic priority, so does our commitment to work alongside other countries.

During the UK Presidency of the European Union, we oversaw development of the key objectives for nanotechnologies research. Some 3.4 billion euros of EU funding are available in this area, from which our own researchers are now benefiting - and one of our priorities in Government is to ensure that they continue to do so.

Partnership working across borders not only gives us the chance to benchmark ourselves against the best of the rest. This collaborative effort will inform regulatory changes and measurement standards. It will support common approaches to risk assessment and management. It will fund research projects that pre-emptively investigate any potential adverse affects on public health and the environment.

And we're determined, of course, to make sure that standards and safety requirements are both appropriate and proportionate.

Let me give you an example of this approach in action. Carbon nanotubes, as many of you know, have made a huge difference to the production of super lightweight bicycles and other sport equipment. A few months ago, however, some of the research we funded identified that certain types of nanotubes had potential risks associated with them. We acted immediately and, through the Environment Agency, issued an advisory notice to all laboratories and manufacturers on how to handle carbon nanotubes and any associated waste products.

I have personally made the case for better coordinated research and regulation of nanotechnology at the EU Competitiveness Council - especially in areas touching on the environment, and health and safety. Only last Friday, I spoke up and supported Council-adopted conclusions, which reaffirm the benefits of nanotechnologies and the need for their safe and responsible development.

Perhaps the key point is this. The examination of risk and the creation of an effective regulatory framework are clearly beyond the capacity of any one country. An international perspective is essential.

The UK has therefore assumed a major role in the OECD regarding the sharing of knowledge and defining the most commonly used nanomaterials. Materials like cerium oxide, an important part of the challenge to improve fuel efficiency in cars; and zinc oxide, a compound useful in the cosmetics industry.

With the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the lead, a range of organisations and other government departments are participating in this work - the Research Councils and the TSB among them.

Dialogue

From dialogue on the global stage to dialogue on the domestic stage, I'm encouraged by the way in which business and the research base, Government and NGOs have exchanged ideas and concerns through the Issues Dialogue Group, the Research Coordination Group and the Stakeholder Forum.

Just as important, however, is the need to engage the public on this vital area. The UK nanotechnologies industry contributes £23 billion to the economy, and yet over 60 per cent of people in the UK have never heard of it.

When I spoke at the Which? summit on nanotechnology earlier this year, it became clear that many in the audience were unaware of the many activities to ensure the safety of this branch of science.

Nanotechnologies may be technically complex, but their potential impact on our lives is too important for them to be discussed among scientists alone. We must take account of public aspirations and fears.

I recognise, of course, the activity that's already underway. Over the summer, for instance, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council conducted a public consultation on nano and healthcare in cities including Swansea, Sheffield and Glasgow. Its findings have informed calls for proposals under the cross Research Council nanoscience programme.

The Government itself has also carried out some in-depth public dialogue - the results of which will be available through the Sciencewise Expert Resource Centre, so that others can make use of it.

Yet I believe we can do much more. In particular, I'd like to see industry doing more.

In this year's Public Attitudes to Science Survey, just 21 per cent agreed that the public is sufficiently involved in decisions about science and technology, while 78 per cent agreed that the public should hear about new areas before they happen, rather than after the fact.

Industry needs to recognise the novel and innovative nature of nanotechnologies can create public concerns. Not all companies have been sufficiently rigorous in researching and documenting any potential health, safety and environmental risks. And companies should be careful not to 'over hype' the claims for their nano products if they want to build successful new markets.

Dialogue is a key method of building trust in the ways that we apply scientific insight in this country. And trust will increase, I believe, through companies explaining the motives behind their research and discussing the potential benefits with due caution; through addressing head-on public concerns over safety issues and protection of the environment; and proving that the ethical underpinnings of their research are constant.

I hope that business will rise to this challenge - making clear the premium they place on acting responsibly through effective public engagement. Indeed, there are a number of organisations - including the Knowledge Transfer Networks - available to help in this work.

Science and society

This emphasis on fruitful dialogue with ordinary people is actually part of a broader agenda. The Department for Innovation Universities and Skills is consulting at the moment on a Science and Society strategy - whose ultimate ambition is to realise a society that values the importance of science, feels confident in its use and supports a representative and well-qualified scientific workforce.

Engagement is no longer a niche issue among educationalists, but one that's vital for our ability to compete in the global marketplace, for how we resolve to face the future, for the very health of our democracy.

I've been talking over recent months about how to achieve an informed public that can be awe-struck by science, but never dumb-struck. That means people being amazed and enthused by the concept of nano-carbon tubes for assembling bridges with indestructible fibres thinner than human hairs. But it also means people being empowered to express their views about the full implications of that same technology.

And the reward for such engagement and transparency? We can expect UK consumers to embrace innovative products, because they better understand the science behind them. Companies can look forward to more young graduates seeking careers in nanotechnology, because they have a better sense of the exciting opportunities that are out there.

So, for reasons of both self and public interest, I urge the scientists and company executives here today to consider how they can lay the groundwork for a country that recognises the value of nanotechnology. There is also a stand here today with information about how you can contribute to the Science and Society consultation, which closes on the 17th of this month.

Conclusion

For my part, I can assure you of my commitment to the UK developing nanotechnologies in a responsible, safe and profitable way.

Besides visiting spin-out companies, I've seen the work that the National Physical Laboratory is doing on standardisation. I've met with Which? to discuss consumer perspectives and concerns about possible risks.