NanoKTN Helps Secure Over £20M for the UK Nanotechnology Industry

The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN) announced that its support and guidance has helped the UK nanotechnology industry secure over £20M in funding and commercial sales. The NanoKTN is committed to assisting its UK members grow by playing an integral role in ensuring that the nanotechnology market continues to expand and bring benefits to the UK economy.

Nanotechnology has been defined as one of the key emerging technologies which will provide wealth opportunities for the future of the UK. Creating the right partnerships and collaborations is vital for completing any gaps in the supply chain and the NanoKTN works with its members to identify suitable partnerships for collaborative work for the commercialisation of nanotechnology products.

Of the £20M, over £6.5M was secured as a direct result of work carried out by the dedicated NanoKTN team which would not have happened without their support, and the NanoKTN’s influence has helped to secure the remaining £13.7m.

Facilitating introductions at events and international missions have led to commercial sales in the form of equipment sales, research services, R&D contracts, internships, and collaborations, and successful Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) – a scheme which awards grants to fund applied research collaboration between industry and university.

Assistance and advice with bid preparation and proposals has enabled NanoKTN members to secure funding through a range of sources including the Technology Strategy Board, FP7, MRC, EPSRC and ESRC. Choosing the right funding opportunity is important for UK organisations to expand their ambitions without wasting unnecessary effort and expense. Support for preparing these funding bids is crucial and the NanoKTN is committed to assisting its members in making the best possible decisions to continue seeing investment into the UK nanotechnology market.

“The UK has a wealth of academic knowledge and industrial expertise and by dedicating time to bring together these leading professionals in the nanotechnology market to collaborate on projects, the NanoKTN support has helped secure a large amount of investment for the UK that will provide impact on a global scale.” explains Dr Alec Reader, Director at the NanoKTN.

Reader continues, “The number of successful funding proposals is proof that there are so many great commercial ideas out there and so many influential scientists that we hope will shape the future of UK technology and business. The NanoKTN staff have significant experience of successfully bidding into the funding bodies and their advice can often help push a proposal up in the rankings so as to secure funding.”