THE INDUS NANO-TECH ASSOCIATION LAUNCHED
New York, November 6, 2007 (IANS)

A group of Indian Americans well placed in the nano-technology industry have formed The Indus Nanotechnology Association (TINA) to create a bigger impact in the market, estimated to be worth $1 trillion (Rs.39.25 trillion) by 2015. The new group will provide a platform for Indian origin nano-technology researchers, technologists, entrepreneurs and investors to exchange ideas and provide networking opportunities to advance the field and create new areas of business.

TINA arose from the Nanotechnology and Nano-Bio Convergence Conference held here last week, where seven of the 14 featured speakers were Indian Americans in academics, research, government and industry.

TINA will be coordinated by conference organiser Thomas Abraham, president of Innovative Research and Products, a Connecticut firm conducting industry and market analysis of new generation technologies. Abraham is also the chairman of Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO). Other initiators of TINA include P. Somasundaran of Columbia University, Brij Moudgil of University of Florida and Ganesh Skandan, chief of NEI Corp in New Jersey.

Nano-technology and its related fields such as nano-materials, nano-bio convergence, nano-electronics and nano-medicine are going to impact lives in significant ways in the future. The US National Science Foundation has estimated the nano-technology-enabled market to reach $1 trillion by 2015.

Nano-technology is defined as the science of designing, building or utilising structures that are smaller than 100 nanometres in size (a nanometre is one billionth of a metre). This involves microscopic structures that are no larger than the width of some cell membranes. In particular, nano-technology may involve the manipulation of materials on the atomic level so that they take on new characteristics, such as increased strength. Nano-technology has enormous implications for the miniaturisation-driven technology of the 21st century.