The next Industrial Revolution will belong to nanotechnology, said Panjab University Vice-Chancellor Prof R C Sobti,in his inaugural address of the Apex Forum on nanotechnology,organised by the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE),on Friday. Earlier Dr Pawan Kapur,Director CSIO and Chairman,IETE,Chandigarh Centre,welcomed the dignitaries and delegates and said nanotechnology was a multi-dimensional area posing many challenges before academicians and industry. Representatives of academic Institutes,industry,research and development Institutions and government agencies participated in the forum. Prof Sobti said the field of nanoscience and technology was the spark for cutting edge emerging technologies. He emphasised that the new era of science has generated worldwide excitement,where scientists are creating new tools,products and technologies to address some of the worlds greatest challenges including clean,secure and affordable renewable energy,stronger,lighter,durable materials,low cost filters for potable water,medical devices and drugs for effective diagnosis and treatment of diseases and so on. He said the strategy was not only to tap properties of materials at the nano scale but to control and manoeuvre them as per the application. Lt Gen Ashok Agarwal,(Retd) and the IETE president gave the presidential address,in which he emphasised that nanotechnology has revolutionised semiconductor industry and now it was no longer limited to semiconductors and was practically covering all fields of engineering,medicine,food chemistry and so on. He said with this,it was now possible to produce much lighter materials for automobile industry and aerospace. The programme concluded with the panel discussion with some recommendations,like providing right ambience and platform for researchers. The panel opined that the government funding should act as venture capitalist and also emphasised upon collaborative research with the industry.
