Nanotechnology and materials is a field primed for expansive growth, according to a January 2016 report by the Japan Science and Technology Agency’s Center for Research and Development Strategy (CRDS). Through comparing the technology development of Japan with that of other countries, the CRDS report aims to propose effective R&D methods that would help enhance Japan’s science and technology infrastructure, as well as encourage the exchange of information regarding nanotech and materials with stakeholders in Japanese science and technology.

The field of nanotech and materials is defined as an “academic or technological field to fabricate materials at 1 to 100 nanometers dimensions,” as well as the study of relevant structural phenomena and the application of this technology to other fields.

Materials are defined as “matters that possess some useful functions, and materials technology as engineering the functions for applications based on materials science.” Japan’s R&D has been key in the materials field and has contributed to the development of new materials that helped create new industries and sustain existing ones. Examples of Japan’s innovations in the materials field include blue LEDs, lithium-ion batteries and photocatalysts.

Nanotech and materials provide essential technologies in the fields of energy and the environment (i.e., climate change, drinking water QC, etc.), health and medical care (i.e., regenerative medical processes, noninvasive diagnoses, etc.), information and communications (i.e., collection and processing of “big data”), and electronics and manufacturing (i.e., advances in device technologies, the Internet of Things, etc.), and contribute to integrated innovation across these sectors. As the field of nanotech and materials covers such a broad range of industrial fields, there is massive potential for the field to serve as the foundation for numerous innovations and technologies.

For 2014, the annual nanotech and materials field budget was $2 billion for both the US and Europe (inclusive of all country budgets in the European Commission), and between $500 million and $1 billion for Russia, Germany, Japan and China. Japan invested approximately ¥90 billion ($854 million = ¥105.89 = $1) in nanotech and materials, while Japanese industry spent roughly ¥900 billion ($8.5 billion) in R&D in the field. Japan’s priorities include devices for energy storage, catalysts (for chemical synthesis, fuel cells, etc.), sensor devices (for health care, the environment, etc.) and other areas that show industrial and social potential. The US’ main concerns include semiconductors (nanoelectronics), advanced manufacturing (the Materials Genome Initiative, the National Nanotech Initiative [NNI], etc.) and clean energy. Europe has placed an emphasis on graphene and composites made of carbon fiber.

In Japan, personnel numbers in academic settings relating to nanotech and materials are gradually decreasing, especially amongst company researchers. On the contrary, personnel numbers in academic settings in the field have been increasing overseas. In 2015, approximately 24,000 active Japanese personnel took part in annual conferences in the field, while about 35,000 researchers published papers on nanotech and materials. This is in comparison to 140,000 papers published in the field in China and about 80,000 published in the US. In order, the countries/regions that have published the most papers on nanotech and materials since 2011 are China, Europe, the US and Japan. China is publishing papers at a rapid pace, with almost twice as many papers published as compared to the US.

Large-scale nanotech research complexes for the intersection of academia, government and industry efforts are being established around the world, including Albany NanoTech (US), IMEC (Belgium), Fusionopolis (Singapore) and Nanopolis Suzhou (China). Japan is also developing the Nanotech Platform for the communal use of research equipment used in nanofabrication, nanostructural analysis, and molecular and material synthesis. The country is also expanding funding for the Tsukuba Innovation Arena–Nanotech to bring in more researchers and projects.

Japan is one of the global leaders in nanotech and materials due to the country’s vast contribution to technology and R&D in the field (i.e., iron-based superconductors, perovskite solar cells, development of metal organic frameworks, etc.); however, there are issues plaguing the advancement of nanotech in Japan, especially with the rise of R&D and nanotech innovation in countries such as China and South Korea. Market shares of Japanese electronic products have declined due to intense global competition and along with stagnant growth in human resources development, published research papers and patent application submissions have affected Japan’s progress in the nanotech field.

There is a dearth of specialized personnel in Japan to help advance skills in the nanotech and materials field, and Japanese industry, academic and government sectors have yet to implement policies that secure and foster specialized personnel for the long term. Other issues include the lack of approaches to connect bio-nanotech research to clinical applications; the handling of intellectual property in academic research; the need for methods that encourage standardization in the nanotech field; environmental health and safety risk assessments; the necessity of regulations, government approvals and licenses; and the ethical, legal and social implications of nanotech innovations. According to the CRDS report, by enabling closer collaborations between industry, academia and the government, Japan will likely be able to bolster its nanotech R&D.

The report lays out “Grand Challenges” for Japan to improve its nanotech R&D. These include solutions and innovations in regards to pollutant removal, more energy-efficient separations in chemical analysis processes and separation methods of hydrogen for the upcoming “hydrogen society” (Japan’s alternative fuel plan); bio-interfaces that allow interactions between biological materials and diagnostic devices at a molecular level, resulting from the establishment of more refined interfaces between devices and living organisms; nanoscale heat control technologies of phonons and progressing these technologies through the integration of quantum-level phenomena; fashioning wearable and implantable electronic tools for health care through amalgamating nanoelectronic functions (i.e., sensing, networking, energy harvesting, etc.) onto miniscule and low costing semiconductor chips; bio-based technologies built upon studying the makeup of living organisms and their application in computer-supported design and 3D modeling; and data-driven strategies for fast searches and designing materials with higher performance, higher reliability and lower costs. In fulfilling these R&D-related objectives, Japan will not only be able to maintain its position as a leader in the nanotech and materials field, but will also be able to fortify its R&D capabilities in the field.

The CRDS deems the establishment of a Nanotech and Materials Innovation Platform as the most important message of the report. It would be formed by satellite-based regional research centers supporting each other through close collaboration. This Platform would give researchers access to advanced technologies from all parts of Japan, thus aiding in the revitalization of regional industries and the facilitation of networking and collaborating amongst Japanese researchers with researchers around the world.