Arthur Piper

Regulating nanotechnology

Regulators can't keep up with new developments in technology. That's because scientific and commercial invention always moves at a faster pace than the lawmakers.

This situation is particularly true in nanotechnology, where a wide range of industries have been bringing new products onto the market. 

Environmental protection groups, such as Friends of the Earth, are not happy about some of the uses to which nanotechnology has been put - especially in cosmetics and healthcare. But many lawyers believe that the rules in place are strong enough - until the next wave of nanotechnologies arrives.

Read my feature on the issue here.

The dead founders' club

Some university scientists dream of taking their invention, making it into a viable business and selling it a few years later for millions. That can be possible. But people who invest in so-called university spin-off companies complain that most scientists can't even put a business plan together.

One venture capitalist said: "“I know that this sounds very basic, but in thirty years in the business, I’ve never seen [a business plan] completed by a start-up in a professional manner.”

Still, many companies manage to get the money to launch their businesses. And how easy is it to succeed? Only one in five make it to the big time: “The path to success can be full of broken dreams, heartaches and dead founders,” says the venture capitalist. Fancy joining the club?

For an article I wrote on venture capital and nanotechnology, see Nano Magazine.

Responsible Nanocode

In 2007, a new code of conduct was published in the UK that aims to provide best practice to businesses and organisations working with nanotechnologies. The main problem is that technologies are being developed so quickly that the long-term risks of releasing products into the market can be relatively unknown.

I wrote an article called Small Worlds, which you can download below that sets out the basic ideas contained in the Responsible NanoCode. The article was published in November 2007 in Internal Auditing. As far as I can tell, those working in industry try to follow the code's main recommendations - although they are not obliged in law to do so.

Download Small worlds For more on the code itself 

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. Here you will find details of my recent work and thoughts, as well as information on the events and projects in which I'm involved. If you find anything of interest, please either leave a comment, or contact me direct: arthurpiper@mac.com