The budgetary allocation for accompanying research on nanotechnology in Germany, Great Britain and the EU research program (NanoTrust Dossier No. 023en – April 2012)

Résumé 0

Compared to other technologies, research accompanying R&D activities has been demanded for nanotechnology relatively early. The overall aim of such research is mostly consensual, namely the prevention of hazards for human health and the environment and of other possible adverse effects of nanotechnology. However, the kind of research or the activities to reach this goal were, and still are, highly disputed, in particular the amount of necessary funding. Often a rate of 5% of the overall budget was considered adequate, while some parliaments demanded an even higher rate (Germany 10 %, Netherlands 15 %).The controversies summarised in this dossier exemplarily show that due to a lack of a national and a European reporting system on the budget of nanotechnology research, the amount of funding for accompanying research cannot be determined unambiguously. The reason for this shortcoming is the very concept of nanotechnology bridging various disciplines and technolo-gies as well as its character as a cross-sectional enabling technology. Thus, nanotechnology is orthogonal to department affiliations and administrative structures. Since research is orga-nized mostly along administrative competencies, and because funding is not listed according to the purpose of the research, the implementation of a meaningful reporting system is a huge challenge. However, without such a reporting system a discussion on the orientation of and the financial support for accompanying research does not make much sense.