European nano-community looks into the future... More funding, better infrastructure Broad support (79%) is expressed for a significant increase in funding for nanotechnology in the next EU RTD Framework Programme (FP7) compared to the level under FP6. Some respondents (25%) call for a doubling of the budget or more, while only 12% want the same budget or less. Divided opinions exist as to whether FP7 should be oriented more towards basic research or towards applied research; this division of opinion is reflected in the academic/industrial origin of respondents. Europe is seen to be lacking a coherent system of infrastructure, and boosting critical mass is identified as the most critical issue (90%). As well as endorsing the value of raising the awareness and exploitation of existing infrastructure, most respondents highlight the need for a new large-scale infrastructure at European (64%) and national/regional level (34%). A number of responses stress the importance of cross-disciplinary infrastructure in fields such as nanomedicine, nanomaterials and information technology/nanoelectronics. Strategic needs Concerns regarding human resources are widely expressed, with almost half of the participants fearing a shortage of skilled personnel for the nanotechnology sector within ten years and a further quarter forecasting shortages in as little as five years. The survey responses identify the development of nanotechnology education and training as particularly urgent: 90% of ...