The Philippines reveals its 10-year strategy to create a commercially viable industry using nanotechnology.
The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development Council (DOST-PCASTRD) made this announcement as part of an effort to bolster economic development in the country.
Nanotechnology is an advanced form of scientific research on atoms and molecules. Products in this research can be applied to new types of metals, energy conservation, and miniaturization of electronic devices, resistant materials and biomedical applications.
This will cover at least six industrial sectors, including the semiconductor, information technology, energy, agriculture, medicine, and environment protection. The roadmap indicates that funding will be provided to several nanotechnology projects, which intend to benefit identified industrial sectors.
The group would be led by Dr. Fabian Dayrit, chairman of PCASTRD’s Technical Panel on Nanotechnology and they are in the selection of the projects that would be funded participated by scientists from different fields. The projects that would be funded must have direct benefits to the Philippines.
Dayrit noted that the agency is also open to partnerships with the private sector since it would also benefit from the results of the projects.
An education drive is also included in the 10-year plan and at this moment, the PCASTRD is looking to make nanotechnology part of the curriculum in all science and engineering courses to introduce students to the topic and prepare them for further involvement in nanotechnology.