Nano/Bio Tech - Where we are now, where we are going and most importantly, why?

1. Challenges And
Opportunities With
Bio- & Nanotech
Tim Harper
Cientifica Ltd
Monday, 10 January 2011

2. Challenges And
Opportunities With
Bio- & Nanotech
Tim Harper
Cientifica Ltd
Monday, 10 January 2011

3. Tim Harper
• Engineer at European Space
Agency
• Serial Entrepreneur
• Co Founder NanoSight
• Chair / Chief Advisor of Several
National Funding Bodies
• World Economic Forum
Emerging Technologies
Council / Tech Pioneers
2
Monday, 10 January 2011

4. Challenge 1
Communicating Technology
Monday, 10 January 2011

5. The Challenge
of
Communication
A constant battle for the first ten
years of nanotech
Monday, 10 January 2011

6. The Challenge of
Regulation
Monday, 10 January 2011

7. • After 10 years we have no sensible
regulation of nanotechnologies
• Most technologies develop faster than
regulators can catch up
Monday, 10 January 2011

8. Challenge II
Making Technology Relevant
Monday, 10 January 2011

9. “Anyone talking about trillion dollar markets,
thousands of start-ups and billions of dollars of
VC money is missing the point of
nanotechnology.
...most of the effects will not be called nano, and
they will be off the radar of most nano pundits
& gurus"
- Tim Harper 2003
Monday, 10 January 2011

10. • Banking crisis
• International tensions
• Failed States
• Facebook
•
•
•
•
• Emerging Technologies
Monday, 10 January 2011

11. • Banking crisis
• International tensions
• Failed States Technology ranks low
on the global agenda
• Facebook
• Need to relate it to
the issues that
•
governments &
• business understand
•
• Emerging Technologies
Monday, 10 January 2011

12. Challenge III
Provide Solutions to Global Risks
Monday, 10 January 2011

13. Medium High Low
Monday, 10 January 2011

14. Global Population Growth
11,000,000
10,250,000
9,500,000
8,750,000
8,000,000
7,250,000
6,500,000
2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050
Medium High Low
Monday, 10 January 2011

15. Population Pressure
World Average Income Per Capita
2007 2022
2007 Population 2007 Expenditure
Distribution Per Capita
30% 1
0.9
25%
0.8
0.7
20%
0.6
15% 0.5
0.4
10%
0.3
0.2
5%
0.1
0% 0
0
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
0
00
,0
,0
,0
,0
,0
,0
,0
,0
5,
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
GDP per capita (in 2000 USD)
Monday, 10 January 2011

16. !
Global
trends
in
population,
energy
demand
and
water
use.
Population:
United
Nations
(http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp2008/,
accessed
7/27/10).
Energy:
International
Energy
Agency
(http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/2009.asp,
accessed
7/27/10).
Water:
Organization
for
Economic
Cooperation
and
Development
(http://www.oecd.org/document/
20/0,3343,en_21571361_43893445_44353044_1_1_1_1,00.html,
accessed
7/27/10).
Monday, 10 January 2011

17. Monday, 10 January 2011

18. Monday, 10 January 2011

19. Leading To Events Like This
15
Monday, 10 January 2011

20. The Impact of
Technology
• The average lifetime of a company on the
Fortune 500 is less than 30 years
• Google is ten years old
• Facebook is valued at $50 billion after five
years!
Monday, 10 January 2011

21. Opportunity 1
Catch The Wave of Emerging Technologies
Monday, 10 January 2011

22. 5000 Years of Science
18
Monday, 10 January 2011

23. 5000 Years of Science
• We have been observing
the world for 5000 years
18
Monday, 10 January 2011

24. 5000 Years of Science
• We have been observing
the world for 5000 years
• Significantly changing it
for 100 years
18
Monday, 10 January 2011

25. 5000 Years of Science
• We have been observing
the world for 5000 years
• Significantly changing it
for 100 years
• Understanding our
actions for 20 years
18
Monday, 10 January 2011

26. Control Over Materials
Materials Have Always Been
Vital to Humanity
• Clothing,
• Heating, hunting tools
• Coal, iron, oil, copper
• Semiconductors
• Satellites
19
Monday, 10 January 2011

27. Materials Have Shaped
Our Culture
10,000 BC
1000 BC 0 1800 1900’s 2000 2010
Stone
& Wood Iron Cement Steel Polymers Synthetic Biology
Composites Nanotechnology
Adapted from Herrmann, W. Chem. Eng. Technol. 21(7), 549 (1998)
20
Monday, 10 January 2011

28. Science Enables New
Technologies
Complexity
1650 1950 2050 21
Monday, 10 January 2011

29. Science Enables New
Technologies
Complexity
1650 1950 2050 21
Monday, 10 January 2011

30. Science Enables New
Technologies
Complexity
1650 1950 2050 21
Monday, 10 January 2011

31. Science Enables New
Technologies
Complexity
1650 1950 2050 21
Monday, 10 January 2011

32. Science Enables New
Technologies
Complexity
1650 1950 2050 21
Monday, 10 January 2011

33. Science Enables New
Technologies
Complexity
1650 1950 2050 21
Monday, 10 January 2011

34. Science Enables New
Technologies
Complexity
Semiconductors
1650 1950 2050 21
Monday, 10 January 2011

35. Science Enables New
Technologies
Complexity
Biotechnology
Semiconductors
1650 1950 2050 21
Monday, 10 January 2011

36. Science Enables New
Technologies
Nanotechnologies
Complexity
Biotechnology
Semiconductors
1650 1950 2050 21
Monday, 10 January 2011

37. Science Enables New
Technologies
Synthetic Biology
Nanotechnologies
Complexity
Biotechnology
Semiconductors
1650 1950 2050 21
Monday, 10 January 2011

38. Science Enables New
Technologies
Geoengineering?
Synthetic Biology
Nanotechnologies
Complexity
Biotechnology
Semiconductors
1650 1950 2050 21
Monday, 10 January 2011

39. Science Enables New
Technologies
Geoengineering?
Synthetic Biology
Nanotechnologies
Complexity
Biotechnology
Control
Semiconductors
1650 1950 2050 21
Monday, 10 January 2011

40. Moving From Control Of
Materials to Control of
Things
22
Monday, 10 January 2011

41. Moving From Control Of
Materials to Control of
Things
Materials
• Metals
• Semiconductors
• Food Processing
Passive
22
Monday, 10 January 2011

42. Moving From Control Of
Materials to Control of
Things
Materials Things
• Metals • Crops
• Semiconductors • Cells
• Food Processing • The Planet?
Passive Active
22
Monday, 10 January 2011

43. 10 Years of Nanotech
23
Monday, 10 January 2011

44. 10 Years of Nanotech
Household Cleaners Sporting Equipment
Food Displays Drug Delivery
Insulation
Sunscreen Paints Water Treatment
Construction
Cosmetics Lighting Filtration
Anti Corrosion Data Storage
Textiles
Computer Memory
Coatings
Catalysis Tissue Engineering
23
Monday, 10 January 2011

45. 10 Years of Nanotech
23
Monday, 10 January 2011

46. The Challenge for the
Next 10 Years
• Make technology relevant to global issues
• Communicate that technology is (in general)
something that improves our lives
Monday, 10 January 2011

47. Operating Theatre 1910
Monday, 10 January 2011

48. Monday, 10 January 2011

49. Opportunity II
Learn From Nature
Monday, 10 January 2011

50. How To Use Them?
28
Monday, 10 January 2011

51. Understanding Nature
29
Monday, 10 January 2011

52. A Top Down Approach
30
Monday, 10 January 2011

53. A Bottom Up Approach
31
Monday, 10 January 2011

54. By Copying This Trick
Reducing friction between container ships hull
& water could
• Save 1% of global oil consumption or
• 850,000 barrels per day
32
Monday, 10 January 2011

55. An Old Trick For Textiles
33
Monday, 10 January 2011

56. Nanocomposite
Materials
• Polymer + nanoparticle, nanofibre or clay
• Increases strength & rigidity
• Lowers weight
• Much of value is in the formulation rather than
the filler
34
Monday, 10 January 2011

57. Nanocomposite
Materials
• Polymer + nanoparticle, nanofibre or clay
• Increases strength & rigidity
• Lowers weight
• Much of value is in the formulation rather than
the filler
Abalone Shell - Nanoscale Engineering
34
Monday, 10 January 2011

58. Opportunity III
Combining Technologies
Monday, 10 January 2011

59. Longest Published DNA Sequence
Synthetic Biology
Source: Rob Carlson synthesis.cc
36
Monday, 10 January 2011

60. A Lot Like Moore’s Law
37
Monday, 10 January 2011

61. • Most technologies are becoming like
Facebook
• What used to be done at Bell Labs or IBM
can be done by far smaller teams
• Access to information and simulation are
key drivers
Monday, 10 January 2011

62. Addressing the
Challenge
Monday, 10 January 2011

63. Addressing the
Challenge
Sustained technology innovation is the only way
that the world has supported six billion people
and will continue to sustain 9 billion people by
2050.
‣ WEF Global Agenda Council on Emerging
Technologies
Monday, 10 January 2011

64. The Challenge of
Sustained Innovation
Monday, 10 January 2011

65. The Challenge of
Sustained Innovation
We cannot take emerging technologies for
granted; great societies that failed to innovate
have collapsed in the past.
Monday, 10 January 2011

66. The Challenge of
Proactive Risk
Management
Risk management is not a passive process. The
21st century presents challenges in terms of
population, energy, food, water, climate and
health – a proactive technology-based
approach is essential to be able to monitor,
manage and mitigate these risks.
Monday, 10 January 2011

67. The Challenge of
Cooperation
Governments, chemical companies, farmers,
technology players, consumer product
companies, NGOs, and consumers need to work
together to realize the potential of a bio-based
sustainable society.
Monday, 10 January 2011

68. In The End...
43
Monday, 10 January 2011

69. In The End...
• Technology has lead every economic and social
advance for the last 10,000 years
43
Monday, 10 January 2011

70. In The End...
• Technology has lead every economic and social
advance for the last 10,000 years
• It can create and clear up problems (e.g
Ozone layer depletion)
43
Monday, 10 January 2011

71. In The End...
• Technology has lead every economic and social
advance for the last 10,000 years
• It can create and clear up problems (e.g
Ozone layer depletion)
• It is human nature to innovate
43
Monday, 10 January 2011

72. Conclusions
44
Monday, 10 January 2011

73. Conclusions
Nanotechnologies and biosciences will be as
important to the 21st Century as oil, polymers
and semiconductors were to the 20th Century
44
Monday, 10 January 2011

74. Conclusions
Nanotechnologies and biosciences will be as
important to the 21st Century as oil, polymers
and semiconductors were to the 20th Century
We have the tools, lets use them wisely
44
Monday, 10 January 2011

75. tim.harper@cientifica.com
Twitter: @tim_harper
Monday, 10 January 2011