Towards a European Strategy for Nanotechnology

Originally published October 2004

Europe has set itself the goal of becoming the leading knowledge-based economy within this decade. One of the means to achieve this aim is a concerted investment in nanotechnology. Nanotechnology refers to understanding and mastering the properties of matter at the nano-scale: one nano-meter (one billionth of meter) is tens of thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair. Nanoscience is often referred to as "horizontal", "key" or "enabling" since it can pervade virtually all technological sectors. It often brings together different areas of science and benefits from an interdisciplinary approach and is expected to lead to innovations that can contribute towards addressing many of the problems facing today's society.