One of my varied roles as Executive Director of the PA Nano Center is to help coalesce and promote a nanotechnology “cluster” in the southwestern Pennsylvania region. This cluster comprises a group of individuals, companies, universities and other organizations who all share a common interest in developing and commercializing nanotechnology. Forming and sustaining this cluster requires sharing information, creating business opportunities, forming partnerships and supporting each other for common benefit.

One way to facilitate the cluster process is to organize and promote meetings and conferences around major nanotechnology themes. The center has been one of the key sponsors of Commercialization of NanoMaterials 2007 to facilitate the growth of the southwestern Pennsylvania nano cluster. This year’s event will be held on November 11-13 at the Sheraton Station Square hotel.

In addition to existing sessions on coatings as well as structural and functional nanomaterials, this year’s meeting will add new sessions on nanomaterials applications to the biosciences and renewable energy, along with business and venture capital issues with commercializing these advanced technologies. Of particular note for this year’s meeting is a session during which several speakers from Europe and Asia share their perspectives on commercializing nanomaterials. Please mark your calendars and join us in the fall.

Let’s revisit the cluster issue. How do we measure success in establishing and growing a nano cluster in southwestern Pennsylvania? One way is to compare ourselves with other regions that are benchmarks for nanotechnology growth such as: Silicon Valley, Boston and the Research Triangle in North Carolina. Small Times Magazine’s annual survey of state rankings in small technologies where Pennsylvania usually ranks between 7th and 10th. However, a recent study conducted by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars shows that Pennsylvania is currently ranking fifth in the nation for total number of organizations working in Nano. Pittsburgh ranks 43rd out of 130 metro areas. Read more from this study here.

In reviewing the list of organizations in the report, I note that several nanotechnology stars in our area are not present, such as Plextronics, NanoLambda, and Bayer MaterialScience. The lesson to learn from this is that doing advanced research, starting entrepreneurial companies and attracting venture capital dollars is not enough. We must also promote achievements. I encourage all those companies and organizations involved in nanotechnology in the region to go to the report’s Web site and register your organization. For a local perspective on this study read a recent article in the Pittsburgh Business Times.

As always, I invite your comments and suggestions on these ideas and others in this newsletter.

Spotlight On: PPG Industries Inc.
MP3 players. Mobile phones. Mosquito repellant. Stain-resistant khakis. Scratch-resistant automotive coatings. Eyeglass lenses that change from clear to tinted, depending on the lighting. These items touch the lives of people everywhere, everyday, and they all share at least one thing in common: they are nanotechnology-inspired innovations.

Nanotechnology is pervasive, and it continues to change materials as we know them.  To describe the impact of nanotechnology on everyday materials, Dan Rardon, Manager, Advanced Technologies at PPG Industries Inc. explains, “A lot of [nanotechnology-enhanced] materials perform much better. They have higher strength, lighter weight and additional attributes such as anti-corrosion, fire-retardant or antibacterial properties. Nanotechnology-enhanced materials have a lot more functionality and greater value to consumers.”

Rardon attests, “Nanotechnology can have a huge impact on society in the electronics industry, enabling faster computers and smaller electronics with more capabilities, and biomedicine, with more effective pharmaceuticals and higher quality medical imaging.”

On the environmental level, he states, “Nanotechnology could enable great achievements in the movement toward alternative energy and the development of alternative fuels.” Additionally, Rardon believes nanotechnology can enable more efficient air and water filtration, improved photovoltaic technology and better technology for utilizing wind energy. The potential global benefit of nanotechnology is extensive.

At the heart of these advances lies Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, geographical hub of all things materials. Home to materials giants like Alcoa, Bayer MaterialScience, PPG and United States Steel Corporation, western Pennsylvania is a region ripe with nanotechnology opportunities considering the aluminum, coatings, glass, plastics and steel manufactured there. Rardon adds, “Pittsburgh is also home to great academic centers that have real strengths in technology, much of which is geared toward materials and nanomaterials. Coupling the academic and the industrial history of the region, the city is poised to offer significant nanomaterials advancements.”

It is fitting that Pittsburgh also hosts the Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center (the Center), where the city’s large materials companies, academic researchers and start-up companies converge to advance nanotechnology to the commercial marketplace. Rardon says, “The federal government does a good job of funding technology R&D, but it can be challenging to transition nanotechnology into the commercial sector.” He explains that the Center plays a pivotal role in moving technology to the marketplace, adding value to the region’s economy, researchers, entrepreneurs and large companies.