From February17^th to 19^th, eight companies and research institutes will be in Tokyo to promote Italian-produced nanotechnologies, which have become an increasing source of satisfaction. This is due both to their having overcome initial shortcomings in comparison with those of other countries and the recognition of outstanding segments at a world level.

The event in question is the ninth edition of the Nanotech Exhibition, which will see the presence of the Italian sector operators in the Japanese capital, with the coordination of the Italian Trade Commission. The appointment is one of the most important and offers interesting business opportunities, given that the Japanese nanotechnology market is seen as one of the most successful, despite the inevitable repercussions of the economic crisis. (Estimates for 2010 show a trade volume of 5,649 billion yen, the equivalent of 47 billion Euros, a figure that could reach 23,061 billion, or 192 billion Euros, by 2015).

The most accredited countries in attendance will naturally include Great Britain, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan, but Italy will be seeking to gain important spaces by enhancing and diversifying the resources of its collective. This will include the participation of the Veneto nanotechnologies system (one of the most developed, involving more than 600 people, including professors, researchers and Ph.D. students working in universities and research centres throughout the region), the University of Salerno, which for some time has been facilitating quality research in this sector, companies such as Selex (the Finmeccanica-controlled multinational and first Italian group to operate at a global level in the sectors of defence and aerospace security), which is working on sophisticated security, sensory and radar systems, and finally, that of some agencies seeking foreign investment and promoting Italian production, such as Invitalia and Toscana Promozione.

The challenge has therefore been laid down for the other countries, in the context of an exhibition whose previous edition recorded a significant growth in size. There were 603 exhibitors in attendance at the 2009 edition, including 208 foreigners, from 20 countries. Overall figures have shown that interest in the exhibition has been growing constantly in recent years and that this growth seems unlikely to stop. The companies in attendance increased by over 10% and 47,272 visitors came to the Tokyo Big Sight during the three days of the exhibition, 40% of whom stated that they were participating in the event for the first time. This contributes to the growing perception of interest in the nanotechnologies market, one which is divided into various fields of application (including that of environmental sustainability, to which the 2009 edition was dedicated and which has its own special section in 2010). Participation in Nanotech 2010 is therefore seen as an important opportunity for the Italian companies and research institutes, which will be gathered together in a single pavilion for the first time, making them easier to identify.