Nanotechnology In California

Nanotechnology is a rapidly growing industry in California, which houses 25 percent of US nanotech companies and receives 41 percent of US nanotech venture capital. It is believed that by 2015 this industry has the potential to create between 90,000 and 200,000 new jobs.  This growth, however, is contingent upon the continued government, corporate, and venture capital funding of nanotechnology, the transformation of research into nano and nano-enabled products and applications, and the general acceptance of nanotechnology by both industries and the public. Therefore, we seek to better understand the place of nano in California by creating a global value chain mapping nanotechnology firms in the state, and how they are interconnected and draw upon nano in their products and services. We identify companies through four online databases: Plunkett Research Ltd., the Nano Science and Technology Institute, Lux Research, 5th ed., and the Woodrow Wilson Center, and research various aspects of each company including geographical location, size, products and services offered, funding, and their place within the nano global value chain.  Detailed analysis of nanotechnology firms will lead to more accurate data for assessing the relationship of the firms to one another and, in future research, their relationship to research and government institutions, consumers, and state and federal regulations, laying the foundation for a more holistic and historic understanding of California nanotechnology industries.