THE GROWING INTREST IN,AND SPENDING ON NANOTECH

Nanotechnology is a global phenomenon, with critical research being done, and discoveries being made around the world. Our ability to work on the nanoscale is blossoming. A wide range of companies and initiatives has already been established to create specific products based on nanotechnology. Applications have hit the markets already (bulk materials, coatings, sensors) and others are being touted as around the corner (drug-delivery systems, new data storage technologies, fuel cells, nanotube composites). Money is pouring into the field from government, businesses and investors. We'll try here to briefly impart some sense of the scale of this.

Breakdown of spending on the US's National Nanotechnology Initiative from 2001 to 2003 (all figures in millions of dollars)

	2001 actual	2002 estimate	2003 proposed	Change: 2002 to 2003	Percent change 2002 to 2003
National Science Foundation	150	199	221	22	11%
Defense	125	180	201	21	12%
Energy	88	91	139	48	53%
Commerce	33	38	44	6	16%
National Institutes of Health	40	41	43	2	6%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration	22	22	22	0	0%
Environmental Protection Agency	5	5	5	0	0%
Department of Transportation	0	2	2	0	0%
Department of Justice	1	1	1	0	0%
Total	464	579	679	100	17%