Union government has set aside Rs 1,000 crore to promote nanotechnology in the country out of which Rs 250 crore will be for the Karnataka government to set up the country's first Nanotechnology Park. Ten acres of land have been identified at the University of Agriculture Sciences,(UAS)campus at Hebbal in Bangalore.
The state has a panel of eminent scientists led by Prof. CNR Rao, Linus Pauling Research Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) and Dr Goverdhan Mehta, former director, Indian Institute of Science (IISc). There have been a few nanotechnology initiatives in the state by the JNCASR and IISc. The Cranes Software has an extensive research set up for Nanotechnology at the IISc campus.
Nanotechnology is the field of the future that will replace micro-electronics and many fields with tremendous application potential in the areas of medicine, electronics and material science, Karnataka minister for science an technology Ramachandra Gowda told Pharmabiz "Nanotechnology holds scope for the students in science and engineering streams for research and development. The Nantechnology Park would give the opportunities for training, research and employment," he added.
In this regard, Union minister for science and technology Kapil Sibal, has asked the State government to submit a detailed report on the development of the Nanotechnology Park. The government would do the needful under the expertise of Prof CNR Rao.
Karnataka already has the expertise in information technology and biotechnology, the Nanotechnology Park will make the State a leader in the global knowledge platform, stated industries minister Gowda.
In 2005, the state government had constituted the Karnataka State Industrial Development Council under the former State minister for industries PGR Sindhia to promote nanotechnology. The state was buoyed by its success in information and biotechnology and wanted to ensure that it could repeat its success in nanotechnology, which is regarded as the technology of the future. In this connection, the government requested Dr Goverdhan Mehta, who is an authority on nanotechnology, to take part in the Council's programmes.
Nanotechnology encompasses various fields like biology, physics, textiles, materials science and semiconductors. The Karnataka government in 2006 was in a dialogue with the Planning Commission to organize an annual event on nanotechnology as an industry-academia effort to cover various aspects of nanotechnology in association with the Indian Institute of Science.
In April 2007, IBM researchers at its labs across the globe including Bangalore demonstrated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to visualize nanoscale objects. Although this technique was lead by IBM's Almaden Research Centre it represented a major milestone in building a microscope to view individual atoms in three dimensions.
According to sources in the state department of industries, Bangalore has the features of being a nanotech capital in the country. The quality of scientific workforce, reverse brain drain and the development of nanotech research at Indian Institute of Science and the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research are the key aspects for the progress of nanotech.
The Indian Institute of Science also offers Master degree in Nanoengineering for Integrated Systems, Chemical Biology, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. To identify Bangalore for the Nanotechnology Park is an effort in the right director, they added.