Taipei, Sept. 27 (CNA) To display Taiwan's efforts in Nanotechnology, the Taiwan Nano-X 2006 launched a series of activities from Sept. 27- 29 with scientists, researchers, multinational conglomerates, international and domestic companies participating.
The three-day event comprises the International Nanotechnology Workshop and Business Opportunity Forum, the Taiwan Nano-X Exhibition, the ANF- Education and Talent Cultivation Workshop, the APEC Nanoscale Measurement Technology Forum, and the Global School for Advanced Studies Workshop.
In 2003, the government initiated a six-year national program on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, a coordinated effort among eight different ministries to promote research and development on the scientific frontier.
Eighty-four exhibitors -- 66 domestic and 18 foreign -- participated in the Taiwan Nano-X Exhibition. Nano application products dominated the exhibition, as more than half of the exhibitors come from that field, organizers said.
Nanotechnology has not only changed the scene of scientific research but has also greatly impacted the economy and society, said Wu Maw-kuen, who is in charge of the nanoscience and nanotechnology development project.
This is why the government spent NT$20 billion on a six-year national program that started in 2003 to make sure Taiwan is not left behind in the global competition as China, Japan, South Korea, the European Union and the United States all started national programs between 2000 and 2002, he said.
According to an estimate by America's National Science Foundation, the global market of nanotechnology application products will reach a trillion U.S. dollars. Taiwan's nanotechnology application is expected to take off in 2008, eyeing a NT$300 billion market.