Argentina: GOA Funds Nanotechnology Efforts

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000479 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR OES/PCI, OES/STC, WHA/BSC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KSCA KNNP TSPL TSPA TPHY AR SUBJECT: Argentina: GOA Funds Nanotechnology Efforts ¶1. Summary: Buoyed by a ten million dollar grant from the Argentine Ministry of the Economy (MOE),the Argentine Nanotechnology Foundation (FAN) seeks to diversify the Argentine economy through promotion of public-private nanotechnology projects. FAN is the first effort to tie public and private nanotechnology interests together with a comparatively large GOA financial commitment. FAN will rely on a cooperative agreement with Lucent Technologies in Argentina to produce nanotechnology products. FAN has also announced construction of a new microelectronics laboratory at the Atomic Center in the city of Bariloche, where the first project will be the development of infrared sensors for use in satellites produced by the Argentine aerospace and nuclear technology company INVAP. End Summary. ¶2. The GOA has committed USD 10 million over the next five years to help diversify the Argentine economy into high value-added exports through the Argentine Nanotechnology Foundation (FAN),a public-private partnership promoting nanotechnology research and development. In an agreement due to be signed in March, a Lucent Technologies facility in Argentina will produce nanotechnology-related projects developed by the organization. ¶3. FAN co-founder and board member Mario Mariscotti told ESTH Section on February 17 that part of the funding will be used to construct a microelectronics laboratory at the Atomic Center in the city of Bariloche, where the first project will be the development of infrared sensors for satellites produced by the Argentine aerospace and nuclear technology company INVAP. ¶4. Mariscotti said that the FAN concept began with a discussion between him and then Economics Minister Roberto Lavagna on ways to diversify the Argentine economy. This conversation resulted in a proposal to create a private-public scientific partnership and a commitment by the GOA to fund the project. ¶5. Mariscotti stressed that the primary purpose of FAN is to provide incentives to attract Argentine private industries into the nanotechnology area, not to support science or research. He noted that there has been some resentment of FAN within the scientific community for this reason. ¶6. Mariscotti noted that nanotechnology development has three stages: design, production, and quality testing. He said FAN-supported initiatives would be responsible for the design and quality testing stages, while Lucent Technologies would handle the production phase. He added that FAN is business-oriented and plans to concentrate on the marketing of nanosciences instead of research and development. ¶7. Previous GOA nanotechnology efforts have been primarily through projects with the GOA-affiliated National Council of Scientific and Technical Investigation (CONICET). Although these efforts have led to notable success in areas such as the development of new fuel cells, officials at one CONICET-affiliated organization told ESTHOFF that the projects are often under-funded and many qualified personnel end up leaving for better opportunities. FAN is the first significantly-funded GOA effort to tie public and private nanotechnology interests together. ¶8. To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires.< /a> Gutierrez