The National Science Foundation has funded a group of universities to allow outside companies access to their nanotechnology labs. Called the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network, the program allows small companies, start-ups and even large corporations access to world class nanotechnolgy equipment on a rental basis. So far over 700 companies - mostly small companies - have rented space in the labs.
Two key quotes. The first from a company making industrial diamonds:
"We have our own equipment for making the diamond," Kane said. "But all of the subsequent steps require access to a clean room, to tens of millions of dollars of equipment that no small company could ever afford. Many big companies can't afford it either."
The second from a company talking about the advantages of being able to rent the labs:
"It's the fixed costs that kill you," said Matt Miller, chief executive of Multispectral Imaging Inc. of Parsippany, N.J., which is renting lab time for two of his researchers at Cornell. Miller's three-year-old startup is developing thermal imaging technology to help find people trapped in burning buildings."
The availability of world class business infrastructure on a variable cost basis is fundamentally changing all aspects of R&D and manufacturing. Small companies can now enter and compete in industries - like nanotechnology - that used to require huge fixed cost investments for plant and equipment.
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