MANILA, Philippines ? For the information technology industry, nanotechnology can innovate existing devices resulting into thinner and lighter mobile phones and widescreen TV sets, higher capacity digital storage devices, smaller notebook computers, and other ?wearable? multimedia devices.

Products developed with nanotechnology can already be seen from paints, aerosols, electronic devices, metal works, medicines, fabrics, even food. The idea of controlling, manipulating, and further miniaturizing any form of matter, allows many industries to create basically anything that is needed.

In June this year, the Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development (DoST-PCASTRD) announced their 10-year nanotechnology roadmap.

So far, PCASTRD said that it is in its ?first and second stage? of executing their roadmap. At these stages a few simple household products can be created.

The 10-year technology roadmap of the DOST focuses on five key industries, which includes IT and the semiconductor industry. Other industries are energy, agriculture, medicine, environment and food. One of the main reasons for the roadmap's focus on nanotechnology is due to the country's semiconductor and electronics manufacturing industry, which is primarily dependent on the US market.

Despite the effects of the economic downturn on the Philippines' electronics businesses, PCASTRD Nanotechnology Technical Panel Dr. Fabian Dayrit said nanotechnology can help these industries keep afloat as new manufacturing technologies allow them to have higher production output at lower costs.

Nanotechnology also creates new supporting industries that provide additional services for companies that have implemented nanotechnology-based infrastructure. Dayrit said nanotechnology will focus on developing products that improve functionality, speed, computing power, integrability, portability, and power efficiency.

PCASTRD has a P50 million initial fund to run its first few projects. The amount, of course, will be spread across the different sectors. At least P2.5 billion will be spent every year for these projects.

This amount is still small compared to the investments made by countries leading in nanotechnology, such as the US and Japan. Both countries invest no less than US$1 billion per year for R&D on nanotechnology.

Nevertheless, the DoST's focus on nanotechnology points to a direction where there could be huge economic gains for the country. More so, the country's IT and semiconductor industries can benefit even more.