Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
problems including agrifood, water purification and desalination, sus-
tainable energy, and nanomedicine for infectious diseases. However,
the percentage invested in such “nano for the poor” appears to be
modest compared with investments aimed at enhancing the com-
petitiveness of leading economies, including the United States, Europe,
and Japan.
7.
Environmental sustainability:
In international discussions on respon-
sible nanotechnology development coordinated by the OECD, risk
governance of nanomaterials is a big issue and several European
countries have announced considerable investments in nanorisk
research (10% or 15% of future national public funding for nano-
technology). However, in Latin American nanoresearch, it is hardly
addressed at all. The European Commission is stimulating debate
on responsible nanotechnology research not only inside the EU but
also in international cooperation, including with Latin American
countries. No figures on the budgets for applications of nanotech-
nology in sustainable energy and resource saving are available.
13.4.1.1 Summary of International Cooperation
Applying the capability approach to international cooperation in nanotech-
nology helps clarify which factors are important for improving the chances
that investment in nanotechnology R&D will contribute to sustainable
nanotechnology. Many different actors are engaged in the public debate on
nanotechnology on a global level, but the decision-making process could
be more transparent. To strengthen the national sovereignty of less devel-
oped countries, awareness should be raised on potential conflicts of interest
before signing R&D contracts. Foreign government and private investment
in nanotechnology vary considerably between Latin American countries.
The structure of the global knowledge economy influences the chances of
success of international cooperation in nanotechnology. However, these
structures are mostly out of reach of the actors engaged in such nano-
cooperation. Access to higher education and research jobs is important
for getting a share in the expected socioeconomic benefits of nanotechnol-
ogy. However, such access is limited for Latin Americans in general and
the deprived population in that continent in particular. Women appear to
have more than the global average access to research jobs in Latin America;
however, this may be distorted if it turns out that more male researchers
migrate to Western countries. No data on migration of knowledge workers
have been found. Poverty, health, and environmental sustainability are the
subject of some research in nanotechnology, but it is not clear how big a
percentage of the total this is.
In the following, nanotechnology policies in the three Latin American
countries that are most active in nanoscience and technology are analyzed,
