Governments have a fiscal and social responsibility to ensure that limited research and developmentresources are used wisely and cost-effectively in support of social, economic, and scientific aspirations.As a result of significant public and private investments in nanotechnology during the past decade and anexpanding array of commercial applications, the field of nanotechnology has matured to the point of
showing significant potential to help societies achieve the shared goal of improving efficiencies andaccelerating progress in a range of economic sectors, including medicine, manufacturing, and energy.Countries that wish to promote the continued responsible development of nanotechnology will, however,need quantitative data on the economic impact of nanotechnology to guide further investment and policy
decisions. Few widely accepted economic impact assessments have been conducted, however, and thereare many questions regarding the best methodologies to be used.
