Status Quo of Nanotechnology in Germany Reveals $48 Billion Market in 2007, $6.8 Billion Spent on R&D

 Germany claims the #1 position in nanotechnology in Europe.  The turnover generated by 750 nano-companies active in Germany amounted to about $48 billion (33 billion Euro) in the year 2007.

The total number of employees currently working in the field of nanotechnology in Germany is  estimated at 63,000.  The global nanotechnology R&D-expenditures of nanotechnology companies active in Germany were about $6.8 billion (4.7 billion Euros) in 2007. About 97%, the major part of the total research expenditure, is attributed to large enterprises with research budgets of more than $1.4 million (1 million Euro). The R&D-expenditures represent  German investments worldwide and is in part also comprised of foreign groups with activities in Germany. That’s all according to “ nano.DE-Report 2009, Status Quo of Nanotechnology in Germany”  published by Federal Ministry of Education and Research Department (BMU) “Nanomaterials; New Materials“ (D-53170).

About 750 companies in Germany are dealing with the development and marketing of nanotechnological product s, methods and services on different steps of the value-added chain. About 80 % of German nano-technology companies are small and medium-sized enterprises.

About 370 companies in Germany are to be regarded as nanotechnology core firms in which nanotechnology accounts for an essential part (more than 30 %) of the business activities. For the rest of the companies – first and foremost big and medium-sized enterprises from traditional branches of industry – nanotechnology is rather a complementary side activity or represents only a relatively small part of the value added.

Present forecasts do not yet consider the effects of the global economic crisis to the full extent. Nevertheless, analyses show that the nanotechnology sector continues to develop dynamically. Current market forecasts for nano-optimized products expect an economic leverage effect of nanotechnology to a world market volume of up to $3 trillion by 2015. This corresponds to approx. 15 % of the global production of goods. In the medium term, nanotechnological know-how will have an immense influence on the value added, for example in the fields of health, information and communication technology as well as in energy and environmental engineering.

On the value added step of nanomaterials and devices for the manufacturing or analysis of nanostructures, world market volumes of approximately $50 billion are forecasted by 2010. In nanoanalytics, an increase is forecasted from $2.5 billion in 2008 to $3 billion in 2010. In the same period, a world market growth from $35 billion to $43 billion is assumed for the field of nanotools and from $1.3 billion to $ 2.1 billion for the nanomaterials sector. These assessments provide a realistic but also incomplete picture of the market potentials of nanotechnology, since in each case only a fraction of the multitude of different methods and material classes is considered. A more de -tailed assessment requires the breakdown to individual material classes and methods, which are exemplified in the present report.

Regarding both thematic orientation and positioning within the value-added chain, the German nano-technology corporate landscape is widely diversified and comprises manufacturers in the field of nanomaterials, nanotools, nanoanalytics and equipment for the operation of nanotools (e.g. vacuum and clean-room  technology, plasma sources etc.) manufacturers and users of nano-optimized components and systems as well as service providers in the field of consulting, contract coating, technology transfer, contract analysis and research.

Nanotechnology is a relatively young field of technology. Approximately 70 % of the nanotechnology companies were set up after 1985. For about a quarter of the companies the subsidies of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and funding on federal-state and EU-level played an important role in the start-up of their businesses. Other decisive factors were the know-how transfer from research institutions as well as financing through venture capital.

Nanotechnology companies are relatively highly export-oriented. Only one fifth of the companies regard Germany as the dominant business market with a share of > 75 %. For approx. half of the companies, the German domestic market accounts for less than a quarter. The most important market behind Germany is Europe, followed by North America and Asia with equally high shares. Other regions play a rather minor role regarding sales markets.

The large majority of the nanotechnology companies expect an increase in sales figures and numbers of employees as well as in research investments by 2010. More than half of the companies reckon with increases in sales of over 10 % compared to 2007. Although the extent of the global financial and economic crisis has not been foreseeable at the time of the survey, a significantly positive industry trend for the coming years is beginning to show.

Nanotechnology is such a key technology. With its,  "Nano-Initiative – Action Plan 2010", the Federal Government has established an interdepartmental framework for action in the area of nanotechnology.

EuroNanoMed Selects First Nanomedicine Projects

The EuroNanoMed ERA-net has decided to support innovative research and development projects, corresponding to a total budget cost of $27 million. Eight transnational projects will be supported in the EuroNanoMed first call for proposals, corresponding to a success rate of 44%. The call was launched to promote collaborative and interdisciplinary research consortia. EuroNanoMed was created to bridge the gap between academic research and industries as well as clinical applications.

This is expected to shorten the time from research results to the clinical and/or industrial application for the benefit of the patient. In May 2009, a first joint call for proposals opened to all key players in each of the 18 partner regions/countries. The call focused on the three main subfields of Nanomedicine: diagnostics, targeted delivery and regenerative medicine. The applications were evaluated by external reviewers and a final ranking list was established by a peer review panel. The global assessment i.e. scientific, technical, translational and/or commercial potential decided the allocation of funds by the EuroNanoMed consortium.

The chair of the international peer review panel, Professor Frank Barry, points to the high quality of the selected projects, their international competitiveness and their innovative potential. "The projects address very significant medical needs with high quality science and technology and will develop an industrial vision for new an d effective patient applications,” says Professor Barry. On October 16th 2009 , the following projects were selected (listed according to the ranking by the Peer Review Panel) (Click to enlarge):

Marine Carbon Nanotube Epoxy Coatings Cut Ship Fuel Consumption by 10%

The Norwegian company Advanced Marine Coatings based in Gamle Fredrikstad specializes in the development of environmentally compatible, heavy-duty anti-corrosion coatings for sea-going vessels is the first company to apply  The “Green Ocean Coating Heavy Duty” coatings which are formulated with Baytubes® carbon nanotubes (CNT) from Bayer MaterialScience. The coating give the ships with them very high abrasion resistance. The coatings also reduce the flow resistance between the ship's hull and the water, thereby enabling a significant reduction in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

“According to our knowledge, this is the first application of Baytubes® carbon nanotubes in marine coatings”, says Dr. Raul Pires, head of Global Activities for Nanotubes and Nanotechnology Products at Bayer MaterialScience. The coatings are suitable for both new vessels and for subsequent repair and maintenance coatings and reduce fuel consumption by as much as 10%.

The Berge Arzew with “Green Ocean Coating Heavy Duty” Coatings

Photo Credit: Bayer MaterialSceince: The “Green Ocean Coating Heavy Duty” coatings from Advanced Marine Coatings are formulated with Baytubes® carbon nanotubes from Bayer MaterialScience, which gives them very high abrasion resistance. The coatings also reduce the flow resistance between the ship's hull and the water, thereby enabling a significant reduction in fuel consumption that if adopted worldwide could reduce CO2 emissions by 70 million tons.

The Green Ocean Coating Heavy Duty systems are two-component epoxy mastic resins coatings with extremely high resistance to water, making them particularly suitable for marine coatings and in particular for the part of the hull below the surface of the water. Thanks to the addition of Baytubes® carbon nanotubes, these have a very smooth surface and thus help to save fuel and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Another major advantage is the reduction of maintenance costs. The ban on organic tin compounds for use as antifouling agents to prevent organic growth has necessitated relative frequent cleaning of the coating surface on the ship’s hull to ensure cost-effective transport. “We hope that the smoothness and greater hardness of the coating will provide better durability and will allow us to extend the cleaning cycle. Thanks to the use of Baytubes®, the systems represent both the most ecological and the most economic solution,” says Stein Dietrichson, Managing Director of Advanced Marine Coatings.

The first ship to be coated with this system was the Berge Arzew, an LNG (liquified natural gas) tanker with a capacity of 138,000 cubic meters. Extensive test coatings of a Green Ocean Coating were successfully applied to a surface area of 700 square meters. The VOC-free system (VOC stands for volatile organic compounds) was applied in film thicknesses of up to 400 micrometers. “The results so far are highly promising. The nanotubes evidently make for a very smooth, pore-free surface,” says Dietrichson.

A film shot in spring 2007 at NTNU and SINTEF Marintek in Trondheim, shows the AMC R & D manager, Eng. Paal Skybak,  who explains about nano modified paints and the Green Ocean development program.
The film is focused on the environment with much attention on CO₂ emissions and how sleek coatings enable energy savings of up to 10%. The consequences of this on a global basis could be a total reduction in CO₂ emissions of more than 70 million tons. This was explained by a Bellona representative, who also said that this will be an important contribution to the effort to improve the global climate by reducing CO2 emissions.
The program may be seen by following this link to: Paint can make ships more environmentally friendly