Europe has the goal of becoming a competitive, knowledge-based economy, without neglecting the social and environmental sides. Nanotechnology is crucial for the improvement of Europe's competitiveness and the quality of life of its citizens.
The financial crisis has made the Commission put in place a recovery plan that also will be a forward looking investment acknowledging that the competitiveness of Europe depends on its potential for innovation.
Nanotechnology is a good example of this due to its potential to lead to applications that benefit both European society and the European economy, promoting sustainability. Some of these applications are with us today; others are at an advanced research stage; and others show promise for the longer term.
Successive EU Framework Programmes for Research and national programmes have committed billions to research in nanotechnology. Results are already evident in four broad application areas: Materials and manufacturing; Information and Communication Technologies; Energy and Environment; and Health.
Nanotechnology is already improving materials and surfaces, increasing the value of existing products. Nanoelectronics is improving our lives and advances in this large field are providing opportunities for growth and improving quality of life - just as microelectronics has done before it.
Most importantly will nanotechnologies make valuable contributions to sustainability, thanks to savings in energy and resources. Both manufacturing and chemistry can become cleaner through the use of new methods based on nanotechnology.
Another promising topic, also covered at this conference is Nanomedicine or the application of nanotechnology to health. Nanomedicine offers many possibilities to improve diagnosis and therapy. It can tackle serious diseases, and it can make medical care both more effective and more affordable for society.
The benefits of nanotechnology to sustainability are expected to increase as converging sciences and technologies enable radical rather than incremental progress in research.
Under the 6th Framework Programme (FP6), almost 1,4 billion EUR of funding was invested in total. More than 550 projects were funded involving nanosciences and nanotechnologies. Over its lifetime, FP6 accounted for almost a third of total public expenditure in Europe in this area. FP6 has seen increasing industrial participation in nanotechnology projects. Also, the creation of several European Technology Platforms has strengthened public-private cooperation.
The 7th Framework Programme is already leading to further progress, with almost a billion EUR invested in the first two years alone. And this does not include the large national investments.
Of course, nanotechnology raises the issue of safety. Human health and the environment must be protected. And ethical principles must be respected.
The Commission takes these issues seriously. It is working to ensure that the public can benefit from the innovations that nanotechnologies may bring, while being protected from any adverse impacts. Research efforts on human and environmental safety has seen nearly 50 MEUR already committed in this area between 2004 and 200S. It is expected that the total budget committed in Europe will increase, reaching a figure of at least 100 MEUR by 2013, thanks to FP7 and the corresponding investments of Member States.
To address ethical issues, the Commission made a Recommendation on a Code of Conduct for nanotechnology research. This is a voluntary Code of Conduct aiming to promote safe and responsible nanotechnology research; and pave the way for its safe and responsible application and use.
That said, we must not forget that private investment is lagging behind public investment. It is important that industrial participation and industrial funding should increase.
In reaping the rewards of nanotechnology we must make sure that excellent research is translated into tangible benefits. And we must make sure that applications are not brought about without a meaningful involvement of society. The Nanotechnology Action Plan (2005-2009) has served us well in supporting Europe's integrated, safe and responsible approach and we intend to continue this line.
With this outline of the promise of nanotechnology, and how European efforts to boost research capacity can and should work together, for the ultimate benefit of European society and European industry, I trust that this event will be successful in presenting the achievements and further promise of nanotechnology for sustainable growth.