The overwhelming majority of health-related nanotechnology patents are owned by organisations in the developed world, according to a new report, with China being the notable exception.

Don Maclurcan, from the University of technology in Sydney, Australia, carried out a survey of global nano-health patents filed between 1975 and 2004. The results, published in the AzoNano Online Journal of Nanotechnology, show that China owns 20 per cent of internationally filed patents, second only to the US with 33 per cent, and ahead of Germany with 13 per cent.

Speaking to SciDev.Net, Mr Maclurcan said: 'The patent search gave us an overall picture of the global distribution of research into health-related nanotechnology. This is definite cause for encouragement for developing countries; China in particular is really starting to make its mark.'

But while South Korea, with four per cent of global patents, is also beginning to establish a foothold in health-related nanotechnology research, the rest of the developing world barely registers, and some fear the emergence of a nano-divide. One researcher told SciDev.Net that developing countries become discouraged as more and more patents are filed in the developed world, thus pricing poorer countries out of the field due to prohibitive royalties and licensing fees.

The report also highlights another cause for concern relating to international cooperation and dialogue. According to Mr Maclurcan, China was conspicuously absent from two recent major international meetings on nanotechnology. As the developing world's leading representative in the field, he argues that China must engage with the international community in order to avoid a widening of the nano-divide.

Source Provider: Press sources (SciDev.Net)