Assessing the value of nanotechnology

Smart money has been invested in nanotechnology innovation, but estimating the actual monetary value of the benefits of nanotechnology has been tricky. The United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) commissioned Oakdene Hollins Research & Consulting to develop a toolkit with methods to calculate the value of nanotechnology. The toolkit allows governments, businesses, researchers and others to compare nanotechnology applications with alternative existing technologies. The added value of the nanotechnology can be calculated over a specified timeframe and related to a particular geographical region.