Nanotechnology key facts

Scotland is up to 30 percent cheaper to setup and run an ICT and electronic technology facility than other parts of the UK

(Source : IBM Benchmarking tool, 2008)

Nanoelectronic company clusters in Scotland are based around the Edinburgh-Glasgow central belt, due to the strength of electronics in this area, but Dundee is also an important area with life science capabilities

The Nexxus network of life science companies in the west of Scotland has promoted a number of spin offs from universities, including Xstalbio and Glycologic

Salaries in nanotechnology are dependent on skills - companies require graduates with an engineering degree, but many staff also have a masters degree that includes a mixture of specific skills

Many of the large companies engaged in Scotland's nanotechnology sector are foreign, whilst there are many smaller indigenous companies too

Scotland’s nanotechnology strengths lie in life sciences, electronics, food and sustainable technologies

Scotland has particular strengths in intelligence, communications and data analysis

There are active technology transfer programs between academia and industry