Identifying the Role of California in the Nano Economy

Nanotechnology is recognized by a wide variety of government and market sources as the next area for substantial innovation, most notably the U.S. Government’s National Nanotechnology Initiative.  Numerous countries are competing to be leaders, and it is important to know the state of different nanotechnology markets to determine which characteristics lead to success and failure.  Because California had substantial influence during the information technology boom, it is important to see if it can build on the foundation laid by its success in that industry.. The goal of our project is to determine California’s nanotechnology capacity and identify its influence on the global nanotechnology economy through estimating both what the current workforce is and it’s human and knowledge capital potential in California’s  market.  Information about local firms and nano-specific training programs was collected through web and records research as well as phone and email interviews.  Analysis of this data allows us to identify California’s key nanotechnology sectors, determine regional groupings, conduct value-chain analysis, and predict future growth of its nanotechnology economy.