The EU, the USA and Canada are all talking about bring in voluntary nanotechnology regulations in 2008 and 2009, where manufacturers that fabricate nanomaterials or use them at the intermediate stage or final end product stage would voluntarily submit toxicity and safety studies to the health, food or environment ministries in each respected country.
According to Industry Canada, Canada currently has 80 companies that produce 150 products that include 88 distinct nanomaterials (data from a Nanotechnology policy session I attended last Friday). Worldwide, the Wilson Centers' Nanotechnology Consumers Products Inventory currently has about 580 products made by 305 companies in 20 countries in its database.
In the mad scramble to complete their toxicity studies, many startup nanotechnology firms who have an open source R&D philosophy, will look overseas to run parallel studies at home and abroad, to save money and to help them with their targets for research and safety studies on nanomaterials.
Just as India is known for its offshore IT and call center work, Ukraine could become the country of choice for nanotechnology outsourcing. It is well positioned for this, with a highly educated workforce and with wages that are much lower then in the neighboring EU. Already, one very famous racing car company has outsourced some of its R&D work on its next-generation batteries or super capacitors to a Ukrainian nanotech startup called APowerCap Technologies. D-Wave in Vancouver B.C., developed the world's first working prototype quantum computer, using Ukrainian breakthrough platform technology, first develped for them by Ukrainian scientists in the 1990's. Ukraine has approximately as many universities and institutes doing nanotechnology research and development as Canada does, but you can contract out development work for a fraction of of what it costs in the West. There is no language barrier any more-most scientists speak English, and often several other languages. There is even a little-known Canadian government program that will match private funds, dollar for dollar, if a Canadian SME or larger company hires a Ukrainian scientist in Ukraine and outsources its R&D on a project basis to an Ukrainian university or institute. This was done after the breakup of the Soviet Union, to support former military scientists, who worked on secret, military projects such as weapons-of-mass-destruction, to convert their research activities into peaceful, civilian purposes. (The USA, I believe still has a similar program in place.) Most of the nanotech research in Ukraine was secret, military work under the former Soviet Union, however Ukraine still retains much of that world class expertise today. IMHO, it's the best deal in town, especially for SME's who are tight on startup capital. All Ukrainian universities and research institutes get meager funding for R&D from the state, so they are all looking for outside contract work.
Want a designer nanoparticle developed ? No problem, The are a number of Ukrainian universities and institutes to help you.
Need to push your safety and toxicity lab work or field trials forward to meet a deadline or VC imposed milestone? Ukrainian scientists are ready to step up to the plate and help you here too.
One Biochemistry Institute, who is working under the EU 7th Frame Work Program (FP7) advertises the following:
Title: Investigation of biological activity of nano size and nanostructured materials (nano compounds, nano powder, nanotubes, nanoparticles, nanocomposites) in vivo and in vitro
Type Details: Investigation of biological activity of nano size and nanostructured materials (nano compounds, nano powder, nanotubes, nanoparticles, nanocomposites) in vivo and in vitro
We will be more than happy to contribute to the project by investigating:
i) an anticancer activity;
ii) an oxidative stress effect (lipid and protein oxidative protection or damage);
iii) an antioxidant activity and biological properties
of nano size and nanostructured materials (nano compounds, nano powder, nanotubes, nanoparticles, nanocomposites) provided by you.
Also, we have an animal facility. So, we are able to test effects of different nano size and nanostructured materials (nano compounds, nano powder, nanotubes, nanoparticles, nanocomposites) on animal models (mice or rats). Currently, several animal models are up and running. Some of them:
i) lung cancer
ii) multiple sclerosis
iii) vitamin E deficiency
Looking for a designer nano-drug or nanomaterial? No problem ! Here is what one Institute of Physical Chemistry is offering.
Title: Nanocomposites based on conducting polymers, nanostructured materials Type Details: Synthesis of nanomaterials; self-asssembly; nanocomposites; hybrid organic-inorganic nanocomposites; conducting polymers; lithium batteries; light-emitting diodes, sensors;
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