CII drafts 10-point nanotech industrialisation plan

New Delhi, Sep 21 (UNI) To have a larger pie in nanotechnology business, which is poised to touch one trillion dollar mark by 2015, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) today mooted a 10-point action plan which entails awareness creation, training and skills development, technology facilitation and networking and facilitating collaborative projects.

As part of action plan, CII has urged the government to establish a strong network of infrastructure facility to support industry.

According to it, facilities in institutes like the IISc and the IITs should be made available to the industry on a 'pay per use' basis. Also, support for collaborative industrial projects should be accelerated and preference should be given for research projects from institutes that have already joined hands with an industry.

The CII action plan also states that a dedicated skill development initiative was required to support the development of a suitable human resource base in this emerging technology, and standards and procedures must be developed and harmonised with international standards.

Moreover, CII has urged the government to set up a dedicated fund for commercialisation of nanotechnology products.

''This could even be in the form of soft loans, repayable after five years of sales at attractive interest rates,'' it said.

Similarly, CII has asked the Indian industry to join hands with not only private and government research institutes but also with other industries that could form part of the resultant value chain.

This would enable efficient usage of nanotechnology related infrastructure. Simultaneously, it must create awareness among consumers about the benefits of nanotechnology related products even as it takes active part in all regulatory and standard related processes relating to this technology.

The action plan takes forward CII's nanotechnology initiative that was launched in 2002 to create a growth environment for industry through knowledge exchange missions, awareness programmes, workshops, market research and other range of services.

The chamber is working closely with the Indian Government on bilateral international initiatives on knowledge sharing and technology linkages, it said.

CII notes that most of the developed nations are investing heavily on nanotechnology research, realising its potential in societal and defence applications and India must join the race for the development of this clean and efficient technology.

UNI MP SR HT1157