Nanotechnology in Germany

In the area of nanotechnology Germany won the first place in Europe in 2007. Excellent, well networked research is not the only reason for this. Also, the companies working in this future-oriented sector have significantly improved their number and reputation in the last few years. Around half of companies in Europe come from Germany, whereby in the USA and Europe around the same number of nano technological operations have settled.

The consistent promotion policy of the federal government made a significant contribution to this positive development.The Federal Ministry of Education and Research recognised the significance of nanotechnology for Germany early on and has been promoting projects in this area since the beginning of the 1990's. In the period from 1998 to 2007 the project subsidies have quadrupled to around €290 million. This number forms a peak value regarding the European standard. In comparison: The EU spent around €740 million in subsidies for nano technology in 2007, almost as much as in the USA.