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Nano Divide Workshop

Bridging the Nano Divide to Stimulate Cross-Disciplinary Research

Globelics AcademyProfessor Mammo Muchie , DST/NRF SARChI

Chair, IERI, TUT;DIR: Aalborg, SLPTMD,Oxford University , May 16-26, Tampere, Finland

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Outline

¡ Inspiration¡ Does a Nano-Divide Exist?¡ Ideas for Bridging the Nano-Divide?¡ Towards Forging a Nano-tech Global

Governance system¡ Concluding remarks

Inspiration

¡ ’...We have shifted from science toresearch. Science is certainity; Research isuncertainity. Science is supposed to becold, straight and detached; research iswarm, involving and risky. Science puts anend to the vagaries of human disputes;Research fuels controversies by morecontroversies.’ …Bruno Latour

Inspiration

¡ ..the enire Encyclopa Britannica could bewritten on the head of a pin, and how allthe world’s books could fit in aphamplet..done as a simple reproductionof the original pictures, engravings andeverything else on a small scale withoutloss of resolution.. Richard Feynman

Inspiration

-.. Nano technology is a technology thatstrives for precision at the level of aboutone nanometer, or one billionth of a meter

-Is there room for wonder where atomsmarch at our command (Adam keiper, thenanotechnology revolution)

Inspiration

¡ If nanotechnology is going to revolutionisemanufacturing, health care, energy supply,commodities and defence, then it willtransform labour and the workplace, themedical system, the transportation andpower infrastructures, the military, none ofthese changes will occur without significantsocial disruption– New Atlantis, Summer2003

Inspiration

¡ --just as biotechnology's abilityto manipulate genes went handin hand with the patenting oflife, so too nanotechnology'sability to manipulate moleculeshas led to the patenting ofmatter! (from Science inCulture)

Inspiration

¡ Worldwide, more than one third of allnations are promoting research anddevelopment, including education andtraining of nano-scientists andnanotechnologists and more thanseven countries belong to thedeveloping world.(Brazil,India, SouthKorea, Taiwan, Thailand,t hePhilippines, South Africa)

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The Brave World of Nano

¡ Nanoscience hailed as thescience of the future

¡ Nanotechnology , as thetechnology of the nextgeneration

¡ Infinite market potential¡ Capable of changing soldiers

into machine like beings¡ Human body like machine

The Brave World of Nano

¡ Strength in manipulating, controlingand reconstructing matter

¡ Dwarfing matter to the tiniest levelpossible while magnifying itsstrength and function at a high levelat the same time

¡ Benefits such as wealth creation,human health, poverty eradication ,fod security can be harnesesed fromnano science

From the Digital Divide now to theNano-Divide

¡ All the benefits from nano scienceand nanotechnology maynnot beable to downstream to eradicatepoverty

¡ It depends who controls and drivesnanoscience and nanotechnology

¡ There is worry that much of thetechnology is concentrated in the US,Japan and Europe

¡ There is a North-South nano divide¡ There is even an emerging South-

South divide

The North-South Divide

¡ Of the reported 585 of nano patentsbetween 2006 and 2008, only 1 camefrom Africa, 2 from LatinAmerica(Journal nanotechnologyProgress International, JONPI)

¡ Most of the Patents came from USA,Europe and Japan

¡ Coprprations such as NEC and IBM holdbasic patents for carbon nanotubes

¡ Control and ownership by corporatesfeared!

¡ They are taking out broad rangingpatents on nanoscience discoveriesand inventions

Nano-divide: health related patentdistribution

¡ Europe 36.7%¡ North America 0.1 %¡ Asia 28.8 %¡ Oceania 0.2 %¡ Africa 0.0 %

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Patent distribution by sector

¡ Private Company 54 %¡ Individual 23 %¡ University 16 %¡ Government 5 %¡ Not for profit 2 %

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Africa' and nano -tech

¡ Apart from South Africa and India, we have found noevidence to suggest any official R&D partnershipsincluding countries in the bottom third of the HDIrankings. Yet, with nanotechnology researchunderway in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Botswanaand expressions of interest from Kenya, Senegal,Swaziland, Ghana, Tanzania and Afghanistanconcerning an engagement with nanotechnology,the opportunity exists for nanotechnologypartnerships to promote emerging science in some

of the less-developed countries.

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Africa and nano tech

¡ In Africa, where nanotechnology research“has been largely academic and disparate”[51], regional partnerships and pooling ofresources, both virtual and physical, mayoffer geographical and cultural advantagesover trans-continental partnerships andpresent the operative strategy for Africanengagement in nanotechnology R&D.

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North-South Nano-Divide

¡ Nano to influence worldeconomy to reach 1 trillion by2015.

¡ It means most of these willbenefit the North

¡ The South where 5 billionpeople live may not benefitunless changes are made tomake it possible for the benefitto reach also the South

North-South Nano divide

¡ Global demand for primary exportsmay decline due to the diffusion ofnano-tech

¡ Unless the primary exporters are ableto adjust to the nano threat as anopportunity

¡ The abundant natural resources maybe transformed throughnanotechnology

¡ In some cases demand may increase,invariably the risk is it may collapse!

South-South Nano divide

¡ As the North-South Nano-dividecontinues

¡ There is also an emerging South-Southnano divide

¡ Countries like China, India, Brazil andSouth Africa are putting considerableresources to catch up with the north

¡ Some of the poorer countries are leftbehind as laggards

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South-South Nano- divideemerging

¡ Brazil considers nanotechnology a strategicarea since 2001 with growing budget forresearch

¡ South Africa's nano initiative started in 2003with a budget of 1.3 million dollars

¡ Indian nano tech started with 10 milliondollars budget and nanoscientists have beencollecting numerous patents

¡ China has a strong Nano technology plan andfund numerous research under the Knowledgeinnovation programme.

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South Africa

¡ According to the South AfricanNanotechnology Initiative,nanotechnology sectors can beclassified into ‘industrial’ and ‘socialdevelopment’, with the latterincorporating: energy; water; andhealth. ‘The environment’ crossesboth sectors

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There is a Need to bridge theGap

¡ The North-North gap¡ The North-South Gap¡ The South-South Gap¡ The North-South-South Gap

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Global Nano Governance

¡ There is a mis-match betweenthe technological sophisticationand the moral and regulatorycapital needed to maketechnology bring new bridgesrather than new divides.

¡ How to harness nano technologyto bring smart growth that helpsremove both poverty andclimate protection

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Appreciating what Nano canbring

¡ Poverty eradication¡ Climate change mitigation¡ Non-military application¡ Safe drinking water¡ Food security¡ Health diagnosis, monitoring and

screening¡ Energy storage, production and

conversion¡ exploring the rich biodiversity

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Need to enhance GlobalPartnerships

¡ Establishing research partnerships tobreak the existing nano-divide

¡ Founding Global research networks¡ Promoting co-publishing¡ Promoting co-patenting¡ Allocation and sharing public funds for

promoting nano- research¡ Building systemic interaction and

dialogue amongst the North-South-South research and science policycommunities

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The Globelics experiment

¡ Can be taken as a North-South-Southresearch network

¡ Brain from North links with the South¡ Normally the South make brain gain to

the North¡ Globelics wishes to reverse by making

they both gain¡ By making the North best brain

partners with the emerging SouthBrain

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Concluding Remark

¡ The opportunities are many fromNano technology

¡ The dangers are equally there¡ What is not yet settled is whether

the opportunities will prevail overthe danger

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Opportunities

¡ Nano for alternative energy¡ For agriculture¡ Water treatment¡ Diseases diagnosis and screening¡ Drug delivery¡ Food security:processing and storage¡ Construction¡ Health¡ Pest detection and control¡ Air pollution remediation

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Dangers

¡ Military application¡ Soldier enhancement (e.g. Institute for

Soldier Nanotechnologies at MIT¡ Surveillance capabilities through nano

sensors¡ Chemical weapons¡ Erosion of civil liberties¡ Exacerbating the primary export

economy of the South¡ Weak regulation

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To make a difference

¡ There is a need for activeengagement by promoting thepublic oversight of nano-scienceand nanotechnology!

¡ This webinar workshop is partof it!

¡ To realize opportunities andforestall or avoid dangers.

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Finally

¡ Thank You

Mammo Muchie

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