Texas is at the center of the impending nanotechnology revolution. Four of the twenty-one Texas universities (Rice University and the Universities of Texas in Austin, Arlington and Dallas) involved with nanotechnology research programs have already developed nanotechnology-specific research centers. Additionally, Texas A&M has been awarded a NASA contract to lead a team of six Texas universities to study next generation, nanotechnology materials for aerospace. Texas also boasts thirty commercial businesses developing products and services from nanotechnology research. Two of these moved to Texas in 2001 to be nearer to sources of this science. These efforts have helped Texas create the critical mass necessary to spring ahead of competing programs and establish a regional nanotechnology economy that can leverage our petrochemical, telecommunications, semiconductor and healthcare industries.

The Foundation has a directory of early-stage nanotechnology companies in Texas.  These companies are generally research-based.  Most are still development stage although several are shipping products.  All fit a strict definition of nano.  Also included  in the directory is a list of the larger, established companies that have a Texas presence that are involved with nanotechnology.

To obtain a copy, become an NFT member and make a $29 donation to the foundation. 



Commercialization of research is already occurring in Texas and elsewhere. Carbon Nanotechnologies, Inc. now produces the strongest man-made substance in existence, carbon nanotubes, which can be used in electronic devices, composite materials, and other applications. C Sixty is developing new materials to treat illnesses, and NanoSpectra is developing "gold beads" that have a wide range of use from healthcare to industrial coatings. Furthermore, while other companies are talking about assembling materials through chemistry, Zyvex is already working on tools to assist in mechanically assembling parts so small that 100 of them could fit into the width of a hair.




In healthy economic regions of the U.S., competitiveness and innovation are concentrated in clusters of interrelated industries according to the Council on Competitiveness in their study on the foundations of economic competitiveness. These clusters are a result of many variables including historical development patterns. Successful regions leverage their unique economic resources (geography, climate, population, research centers, companies and government organizations) to build specialized clusters. Although companies and individuals create a large number of innovations, universities and research centers can institutionalize entrepreneurship and help ensure a steady flow of new companies and their associated economic growth.

“. . . preliminary estimates by the Hitachi Research Institute place the market . . . for nanotechnology [for Japan] at 27 trillion yen [over $200 billion] in 2010.”

Hitachi Research institute according to Environmental, Science & Technology Bureau Japan Federation of Economic Organizations

Texas already has many early advantages in building a nanotechnology cluster. The Texas Medical Center in Houston is the largest medical complex in the world and is second to Boston in total research spending. Further the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas is the only medical school in the world where four Nobel Laureates are actively involved in research. The center of the world's telecommunications industry is in Richardson, a Dallas suburb, known as Telecom Corridor. Houston is the energy capital of the world, and the largest petrochemical complex in the world is on the Gulf Coast next to Houston. The Dallas and Austin regions are focal points for the semiconductor industry in Texas. More silicon wafers are produced in Texas than in any other U.S. state except California. Finally, the Johnson Space Center supports research in many fields that are complementary to the fields of research being pursued at Texas universities.

NFT will leverage the existing nanotechnology research from 21 institutions along with the state's existing industrial clusters to expand upon the state's early advantage. The "Silicon Valley of the 21st Century" would stretch from Dallas to Austin to Houston and build upon four industries that exist today -- healthcare, computers and telecommunications, semiconductors, and chemicals.

"The real locus of innovation is at the regional level. . . . Commercialization of basic research is a difficult but important ingredient for generating entrepreneurship. . . . Universities and specialized research centers are the driving force behind innovation in nearly every region. . . . Successful regions leverage unique assets to build specialized clusters. . . . Building strong regional economies takes decades."

- "Clusters of Innovation: Regional Foundations of U.S. Competitiveness" Council on Competitiveness

These changes will be evolutionary in some cases, and disruptive in others. Where Texas does not embrace the technology in the case of disruptive changes, our industry is at substantial risk.