Germany backs nanotech for medicine
to support companies and academics working in the emerging field of
'bionanotechnology'.
Similar efforts to boost research in nanotechnology have already been unveiled in the UK and France.
The Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) funded programme is aimed at supporting industry-led consortia that are working in the areas of pharmaceutics and medical technology. Key topics of interest include drug transport, nanoscale drug delivery systems, implantation and regenerative medicine, and in vivo diagnostic/molecular imaging.
The Nanotechnology for Health and Society (NanoforLife) project is part of a wider set of government funding that has provided a fund of €50 million for bionanotechnology efforts between 2000 and 2006.
The funding covers preclinical and Phase I clinical trials, and covers up to 50 per cent of costs for a company and up to 100 per cent of additional costs for research facilities. The submission deadline for NanoForLife is 15 April, 2005.
