Reviewing nanoscience and nanotechnologies: Government response and actions

RSC and IOP submission to the Council for Science and Technology review of progress on actions set out in the Government's response to the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering report; Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies: opportunities and uncertainties

Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary field. Advances in the area will require the expertise of chemists, physicists, materials scientists, biochemists, molecular biologists, engineers, toxicologists and medical scientists working together. Chemistry and physics are central to most nanotechnologies and both the RSC and IOP have nanotechnology interest groups for their respective members. Success in nanotechnology is reliant on the collaboration of academics highly skilled in their own disciplines and for nanotechnology to flourish, the existing breadth and depth of core science must be well supported in the UK to underpin relevant advances.

This document represents the views of both learned societies whose charters oblige them to serve the public interest by acting in an independent advisory capacity. The RSC and IOP together with the EPSRC funded network 'NANOsafeNET' and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining held a workshop on 4 October 2006 to discuss regulation, infrastructure and research policy developments in nanotechnology and the evidence submitted here comes from discussions held at this workshop.