TechBlog

An ambitious government plan seeks to make Korea one of the top three countries for nanotechnology by 2020.

The Science and Technology Ministry announced Tuesday (Jan. 15) its “National Nanotechnology Roadmap (2007-2020)” for research and development in the field.

The Korea Nanotechnology Research Society drew up the plan, and will also hold a public hearing on the roadmap Thursday.

“By securing more than 50 of the finest international nanotechnologies by 2020, Korea will create a new industry to emerge as a top three nanotechnology power and control 20 percent ($500 billion) of the global nanotechnology market,” a ministry statement said.

The roadmap said Korean companies and institutions that use nanotechnology will earn $260 billion a year by 2015 and $500 billion a year by 2020, for about 20 percent of the global market.
The ministry also said, “Nanotechnology will lead the technological evolution of major domestic industries, and will be a growth engine for emerging sectors.”

Nanotechnology deals with the methods of processing materials on a molecular scale, normally one to 100 billionth of a meter. Applications are used in a wide range of industries, such as computer chips, steel, chemicals, cosmetics, textiles and medicine.

The roadmap categorizes nanotechnology into four sectors: nano-element, nano-manufacturing, nano-bio and nano-energy and environmental technology.

The roadmap offers a development course for each technology and new sectors that could be produced by combining these technologies.

Nano-element technology is forecast to help overcome limitations in semiconductor development. The technology is expected to grow to $1.3 trillion in market value by 2015, accounting for more than 20 percent of the world market for microelectronic elements.

The final plan will be submitted to the National Science & Technology Council in the first half of the year. Once approved, it will be used as a guideline to support and fund public and private R&D projects in nanotechnology.