Nanotechnology + macro money = ?
On February 21, the Dynasty Foundation and the Informnauka Agency, with the expert support of the journal Russian Nanotechnologies, held a meeting of the scientific cafe "Nanotechnologies + Macro-money = ?" dedicated to the development of this area of scientific research relevant to Russia.
At the beginning of the discussion held at the Petrovich Club, the cafe's host Lyubov Strelnikova reminded the audience that the nanotechnology boom that began in the world about 20 years ago with the appearance of new research tools in the arsenal of scientists has now reached Russia. But why is this scientific direction so important today? After all, both nature and man have "mastered" these technologies for a long time; the same medieval alchemists, in search of the philosopher's stone, unwittingly performed such manipulations with substances, which we now call the fashionable word "nano". Lyubov Strelnikova believes that nanotechnology is the next and natural stage of scientific and technological progress. After all, it is at the nanoscale that the interests of modern physics, chemistry and biology converge now.
Answering the question about the main points of growth of fundamental science in the field of nano, Academician Mikhail Alfimov, Director of the Center for Photochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences and editor-in-chief of the journal "Russian Nanotechnologies", agreed with the presenter and noted that science in its development has passed an evolutionary path from micro to nano, and the main result today is that researchers they already know how to get nanoobjects and manipulate them. A new task of fundamental science is to learn how to construct macro—objects from "nanodetals", "taming" the laws of nature in the resulting structures. However, according to Academician Alfimov, the results of these studies will be noticeable only after 2015, not only because of the complexity of the task, but also because of the lack of specialists in this field both in Russia and abroad.
According to Mikhail Alfimov, the society should help scientists in predicting the most promising and popular areas in the development of nanotechnology. To determine trends, it is necessary to involve experts from a wide range of fields, including the humanities, to conduct large-scale sociological research. The academician himself considers medicine to be the most promising area of application of nanotechnology developments.
But what is missing for Russian scientists to achieve success and take a leading position in the global nanotechnology market? One of the reasons — the lack of qualified specialists — has already been named. Alexander Ozerin, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of the N.S. Enikolopov Institute of Synthetic Polymer Materials of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that the development of nanotechnology in Russia is hindered by the lack of political will of the leadership of our country. According to Ozerin, the efforts of scientists should be aimed primarily at improving the quality of life of people, and therefore the main areas of application of nanotechnology should be healthcare, environmental protection, housing, transport, communications; however, the state does not set specific goals for scientists that contribute to solving these tasks. The state program for the development of Russian nanotechnology, initiated about a year ago, does not have a clear goal setting that would allow scientists to focus their efforts on key areas of research.
Alexander Ozerin was supported by Professor Leonid Gokhberg, Vice-Rector of the Higher School of Economics, Director of the Institute for Statistical Research and Economics of Knowledge of the Higher School of Economics, noting that for Russia to successfully enter the world market of nanotechnology, it is necessary to carry out real and effective economic reforms in the country.
Over the past 8-10 years, state funding for science has doubled, and Russia's share in the global high-tech markets continues to be only 0.3%. Leonid Gokhberg sees a way out of this situation in the creation of so-called "Centers of Excellence" based on Western models, in the construction of a system for measuring the effectiveness of technologies and expert assessment of when and which areas of nanotechnology will give a breakthrough in world markets.
Responding to the reproaches of scientists for the lack of goal-setting on the part of the state, Andrey Petrov, Director General of the state Directorate of the Federal Research and Development Center "Research and Development in priority areas of development of the scientific and technological complex of Russia for 2007-2012", objected that today all the necessary decisions on the part of the state have been taken: institutions have been identified, funding has been allocated, management tools have been created — the federal target program, a state corporation, the Russian Foundation for Basic Research is involved in the analysis and financing of projects in the field of nanotechnology. At the same time, Andrei Petrov explained, the state is not trying to develop nanotechnology at an accelerated pace, as it expects the reaction of society and assigns it the task of determining priorities for the development of the nanotechnology industry. The introduction of nanotechnology into our daily life presupposes a new level of culture and perception, therefore, an expert community should be formed from among prominent futurologists, sociologists and psychologists who are able to give a competent assessment of the results of the introduction of nanotechnology, people's willingness to accept these technologies and predict their future impact on our lives. At the moment, such an expert community has not yet been formed.
Alexander Kostinsky, who represented the state corporation Rosnanotech at the scientific cafe, assured the audience that his corporation's goals have been clearly defined since the adoption of the law on its organization: by 2015, Russia's share should be at least 4% of the global nanotechnology market. The task of Rosnanotech is not to spend, but to invest public funds in the most promising technologies, therefore, the corporation is involved in the process of interaction with scientists at the stage when there are already specific experimental design developments that are attractive to businessmen. Alexander Kostinsky called stimulating large businesses to invest in nanotechnology one of the main tasks of the state corporation. The most promising areas from the point of view of Rosnanotech are: nanobiotechnology, materials science (in particular, the creation of new catalysts), optics and electronics (in particular, the development of LEDs). It is in these areas that the financing of about two dozen pilot projects will begin from the second half of 2008.
Vladimir Mordkovich, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, head of the laboratory of the Joint Research and Development Center, as well as Chairman of the expert council on nanotechnology of the Onexim Group, told the cafe guests that representatives of large businesses understand the prospects for the development of nanotechnology in Russia and are ready to invest in the creation of new products based on nano. The Independent Expert Council was created to determine the technologies that are of the greatest interest from the perspective of their prospects, as well as the qualifications of the research team and the state of the competitive environment in this area. Vladimir Mordkovich expressed hope that Onexim Group is only the "first swallow" among representatives of large Russian business, and that as the domestic nanotechnology market develops, there will be other private investors.
Georgy Malinetsky, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor, Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has his own view on nanotechnology. He believes that the nanotechnology initiative is a bluff, another way to "master" public money, since the natural cycle of innovation reproduction is disrupted in the country, and the Russian economy at the current stage of its development is not ready to use advanced developments of scientists. Georgy Malinetsky compared nanotechnology with an excellent "seasoning", but complained about the lack of a "main dish" — an advanced economy that could be flavored with it. According to Malinetsky, society is being misled: what people have always done is now commonly referred to as the buzzword "nano", but in fact, the goal of both scientists and the state should not be nanotechnology, but a concrete result, a useful product. The global nanotechnology market is already divided, and it will be very difficult for Russia, where the industry still uses outdated developments, to win back its segment in it.
Summing up the results of the scientific cafe, presenter Lyubov Strelnikova summarized that the meeting highlighted a characteristic phenomenon — society, officials and scientists cannot come to an understanding because they speak different languages. And Svetlana Belyaeva from the newspaper "Search" noted that according to her impression of the conversation, the nanotechnology initiative is the most ambitious PR action in the history of science.
Olga Myznikova, administrator of the scientific cafe (material provided by the agency "Informnauka")
Published in the electronic edition "Science and Technology of Russia"Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru