RESEARCH: THE ENORMOUS CHALLENGE OF THE INFINITELY SMALL.

• Position: Nanotechnologies

Renzo Tomellini, head of the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Unit at the European Commission's Research DG, told the conference: "In 2010 or 2015, if the forecasts are to be believed, we can expect that nanostructured materials and products will represent revenues of 1,000 million Euros, ranging from electronics to telecommunications, materials and biotechnology." From self-cleaning windows to batteries which recharge in one minute and microwave semi-conductors which can destroy cancer cells, the applications - both potential and existing - seem practically endless. Whether from the worlds of science, industry or finance, the race towards this new frontier has begun: around 7,000 people attended the opening of Nano Tech 2003.

Nanotechnologies will lead to a complete reversal in the way in which man has produced things since the dawn of time. "We started with large-scale in order to reach the small-scale. We cut down a tree to make a tooth-pick," Mr Tomellini told the conference. "With the mastery of matter, atom by atom, the future belongs to working from the bottom up. It will soon be operationally possible to start from the small-scale to produce materials and objects," he added. This means of production has the advantage of being compatible with environmental protection because, Mr Tomellini went on, it enables us "to make more out of less, by investing more intelligence and using fewer resources".

One of the most promising developments in nanotechnology is the carbon nanotube. This material is "stronger than a spider's web", according to Mr Tomellini, in other words between 10 and 100 times stronger than steel for a fraction of the weight. It is manufactured out of plasma, which eliminates the enormous amount of pollution currently generated by the production of carbon black (30 million...