Ac version 3 Observation 1: sq 4

Latin America Key

U.S. Key Direct Resources

Latin America lacks nanotech initiatives now—the plan is key to redirect Mexican resources via government nanotech projects

Foladori et al 07- Professor at Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas; Invernizzi-Senior associate at the Wilson Center (Guillermo, Noela, “Nanotechnologies in¶ Latin America”, 12/2007, http://www.academia.edu/370692/Nanotechnologies_in_Latin_America)//VS

It is worth mentioning that neither Brazil, nor Argentina, nor México have created¶ programs to examine the possible social, economic, environmental, political¶ and ethical impacts of the use of nanotechnology.3 In contrast, most of the industrialized¶ countries have solid agendas to promote the discussion of these issues.¶ The absence of such schemes in Latin America indicates a lack of public awareness¶ about the use of this technology and shows the profound hope that the governments¶ in the region have in nanotechnology to conquer international markets,¶ even though its use would entail risks and impacts not fully understood.¶ The Mexican case is somewhat different from the Argentinean and Brazilian¶ cases. There is no specific plan or national program linked to nanotechnology in¶ México, even though nanotechnology is considered a strategic sector for development,¶ as identified in 2002 in the Programa Especial de Ciencia y Tecnología¶ 2001-2006 (Special Program on Science and Technology 2001-2006). There have¶ been efforts from a group of scientists to promote such a plan (IPICyT, 2002). The¶ United States-México Foundation for Science (“FUMEC”) has shown support as¶ well. In addition, nanotechnology research and development in México has been¶ conducted by individuals and regulated through the bilateral and multilateral agreements¶ that some research centers have signed. However, this reflects a path¶ where specific interests regulate the development of nanotechnology.

Mexico Key – No National Plan

Nationalized nanotech initiatives overcome financing hurdles

Foladori et al 07- Professor at Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas; Invernizzi-Senior associate at the Wilson Center (Guillermo, Noela, “Nanotechnologies in¶ Latin America”, 12/2007, http://www.academia.edu/370692/Nanotechnologies_in_Latin_America)//VS

The Programa Especial points out¶ the pressing need for creating a national plan on nanotechnology development and¶ the necessity to encourage the formation of networks for scientific exchange in the¶ area (CONACYT, 2002). Moreover, the National Development Plan 2001-2006¶ identifies nanotechnology research as an important subfield inside the energy sector,¶ above all others within the framework of the Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo¶ (“IMP”) (Mexican Institute of Petroleum). The conditions and provisions to create¶ and implement a National Initiative for Nanotechnology Development were present,¶ but the lack of funding and the absence of an executive plan created barriers¶ to fully develop a national initiative for nanotechnology. In this regard, the budget¶ for Science and Technology (“S&T”) has dramatically decreased in the last¶ five years.

2AC – Mexico Key - Regulations

Mexico’s key—geographical advantage and lack of regulations

Foladori et al 07- Professor at Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas; Invernizzi-Senior associate at the Wilson Center (Guillermo, Noela, “Nanotechnologies in¶ Latin America”, 12/2007, http://www.academia.edu/370692/Nanotechnologies_in_Latin_America)//VS

In this context, nanotechnology appears¶ to be a necessity more than an option. But competitiveness is not only the¶ result of individualized efforts. To be competitive, it is necessary that someone¶ else lose. This is the law of the market. The race between several regions and/or¶ states in México to build scientific-industrial parks could increase the competition¶ between them, thus increasing the possibility of failure and encouraging environmental¶ degradation. In the absence of a national plan, could this increase intra-national¶ competition and, as a consequence, weaken the international position of¶ México?¶ Why would transnational enterprises like to set up shop in México? Geography¶ can be an answer, but not necessarily the most important one. Perhaps it has something¶ to do with the paucity of regulations and lax rules. In the U.S., the potential¶ risks to health and the threats to the environment derived from nanoparticles¶ are part of the political agenda. As a consequence, the costs for¶ nanotechnology R&D might increase. It is likely that some enterprises will seek¶ to avoid these costs by migrating to countries where these rules are nonexistent.

Resource Shift

Latin America key—plan is key to shift the focus from research to production

Kay et al 09-School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology; Shapira- Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, Manchester Business School, University of Manchester (Luciano, Philip, “Developing nanotechnology in Latin America”, 02/11/2009, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2988220/#__ffn_sectitle//VS)

Several Latin American countries have set the development of nanotechnology as an objective to increase their competitiveness (Foladori 2006). However, scientific research has been concentrated primarily in three countries, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, which contributed about 85% of all nanotechnology publications from this continent during the period 1990–2006 (Table 2).4 In these countries, nanotechnology research activity in the field started in the early 1990s, but publication output did not begin to noticeably increase until the middle of that decade (Fig. 1)¶ At the aggregate level, Latin America’s share of global nanotechnology publications grew in successive years between 1994 and 2002, rising to 3.6% of the world’s nanotechnology publication output in the latter year. Since 2002, although the actual number of publications has continued to increase, the continent’s relative share of world output has declined. In 2005, Latin America contributed 3% of the world’s nanotechnology publications (Latin America’s share of world population was 8.6% in that year).5 In general terms, this relative decline reflects greater increases in research activity and publication in other leading countries. For example, between 2002 and 2005, annual nanotechnology publication rates increased by 57% for the US and 170% in China compared with 33% for Latin America. By country, Brazil and Mexico have continued to expand absolute numbers of publications, while in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay there has been a relative standstill in publication growth in recent years (Fig. 1).6

Government Key – Regs and R&D

Government involvement solves R&D efforts—that makes nanotech effective

Kay et al 09

School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology; Shapira- Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, Manchester Business School, University of Manchester (Luciano, Philip, “Developing nanotechnology in Latin America”, 02/11/2009, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2988220/#__ffn_sectitle//VS)

Moreover, our data show relatively low government involvement in nanotechnology research publication, except for Argentina where there are several governmental labs that are actively involved in research. However, the role of government clearly may extend beyond this. Nanotechnology policies may give the role of broker to government agencies to enable knowledge transfer, sharing, and exchange between industry and academia. These agencies may also help in coordinating national R&D efforts and promote broader participation and citizen input on the use of nanotechnology applications (Chiancone et al. 2007; Invernizzi 2007). Furthermore, they can design regulation schemes to ensure the development of nanotechnology according to social and environmental standards (Maynard 2006).

Nat. Plan Key – U.S. Model

National project key to economic competitiveness—US interaction key

Foladori et al 07

Professor at Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas; Invernizzi-Senior associate at the Wilson Center (Guillermo, Noela, “Nanotechnologies in¶ Latin America”, 12/2007, http://www.academia.edu/370692/Nanotechnologies_in_Latin_America)//VS

The path that nanotechnologies have followed in the case of Mexico, the second big player in the region, is somewhat different (Foladori & Zayago, 2008).¶ The main difference is that there is no national plan or policy to direct the development of the nanosciences and nanotechnology. Paradoxically, the technology¶ has been considered as one of vital importance, even strategic, as identified in¶ 2002 in the Special Program on Science and Technology 2001-2006 within the¶ National Plan of Development (Foladori & Zayago, 2007). ¶ Despite the absence of an integral national policy of nanotechnology and combined with the consistent reduction in the budget destined to S&T, estimated at¶ 0.4% of the GDP in 2005, several research groups were created. According to different estimates, there are currently between 300 and 500 scientists working in the¶ area of nanotechnology, most of which are linked via bilateral or multilateral agreements and by the creation of national and international research networks.¶ These networks incorporate the most important Mexican universities and research¶ centers, creating bonds with the European Union, with some other Latin American countries, but mainly with the US, whose compelling influence is growing¶ every year. The collaboration between Mexico and the US regarding nanotechnology development has been done by essentially three mechanisms: at the scientific-academic level (between research centers and universities); in correspondence¶ with political and business interests (by establishing high technology parks within¶ the framework of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); and¶ through scientific and military accords. ¶ As the Brazilian case, the main justification to support nanotechnology development in Mexico is an increase in competitiveness and, at the same time, there¶ is no concern about the social, economical, political and ethical implications, as¶ well as the potential risks, of using nanotechnologies.

Mexico Key – Nat. Plan Key

Mexico’s key—nanotech infrastructure is ready—national plan key to effectiveness

Foladori et al 07

Professor at Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas; Invernizzi-Senior associate at the Wilson Center (Guillermo, Noela, “Nanotechnologies in¶ Latin America”, 12/2007, http://www.academia.edu/370692/Nanotechnologies_in_Latin_America)//VS

What are, then, the development paths followed by nanotechnologies in Latin¶ America that we can observe after this research? We can essentially group them¶ around three trends. The first trend is a clear concentration of the development of¶ nanotechnology in basically three countries: Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. These¶ countries historically experienced in the region both a more advanced process of¶ industrialization and a higher development of infrastructure dedicated to support¶ public education and research. This concentration can, however, result in an increase in the south-south gap aggregated to the already impressive north-south gap¶ regarding nanotechnology development. Nonetheless, this tendency can be overcome by the development of agreements and joint programs among the countries¶ in the region with the purpose of endorsing the development of nanotechnologies.¶ Some programs are stronger, at least at the moment, such as those between Brazil¶ and Argentina, with some integration of Uruguay. Widening the scope and reach¶ of these agreements would make it possible to make better use of the research infrastructure and human resources in the region. Furthermore, it would be possible¶ to elucidate a better agenda with a focus on the economic and social needs. ¶ Only two countries, Brazil and Argentina, have created national nanotechnology programs. However, the single aim of those programs is to use nanotechnologies as a tool to increase competitiveness. This is a second trend. The idea is to¶ link knowledge to industry with the purpose of stimulating the productive sector,¶ which has been historically characterized in Latin America by its little-to-no initiative toward innovation. The creation of national programs not only guarantees¶ resources and stresses the importance of nanotechnology within the S&T national¶ agenda, but also contributes to the establishment of national goals and delineates¶ feasible research areas. For that reason, we see as essential the establishment of¶ National Nanotechnology Programs to orient nanotechnology development in Latin America towards explicit goals of social development.

Mexico Key – National Agenda

Mexico key—no national nanotech agenda now

Foladori et al 07

Professor at Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas; Invernizzi-Senior associate at the Wilson Center (Guillermo, Noela, “Nanotechnologies in¶ Latin America”, 12/2007, http://www.academia.edu/370692/Nanotechnologies_in_Latin_America)//VS

Up until late 2007, there was no federal program to finance, organize or regulate na-no technology, despite the efforts of some researchers from a variety of institutions to get it under way (Several Authors, 2002; IPICYT,2005).Most research groups have bilateral agreements with groups in the United Sta-tes or Europe, and financing comes from various Mexican and overseas programs.The main agreement is probably the partnership established in 2004 between Uni-versity of Texas-Austin, International Center for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials and several centers from the National Council of Science and Techno-logy (“CONACYT”) and other universities (Fierro, 2004). According to a study(Lieffering, 2004), the main fields of research in Mexico are the following: inte-grated circuits, microelectromechanical systems (“MEMS”), semiconductors, sen-sors and development of new materials. In December 2005, the Committee forScience and Technology of the Senate of the Republic issued a report in favor of the preparation of a National Emergency Program for investment in research and teaching of nanotechnology (Comisión de Ciencia y Tecnología, 2005), neverthe-less up to the end of 2007 internal differences did not make this possible.

Modeling

Mexico Key Model

Mexico key—it’s the framework for Latin American nanotech—research proves it’s critical

Lau 08

Researcher of the Latin American Nanotechnology & Society Network ¶ (ReLANS); PhD. ¶ Candidate in Development Studies at the Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas (Edgar Zayago, “Nanotechnology may be more useful for Mexican society”, 2008, http://www.utwente.nl/mesaplus/nanoforumeula/interviews_visiting_researcher/edgarlau.pdf//VS)

The research plan for the visit emerged from the need to fill an important gap within the area ¶ of nanotechnology: its impact on developing societies. The plan carried out at the University ¶ of Twente institute represented an important opportunity to add value to the research area ¶ within the framework not only of Mexico but the entire Latin American continent. ¶ The results allowed us (ReLANS’ members) to contribute in ensuring that the pursuit of ¶ nanotechnology development in Mexico is approached utilizing a responsible process with a ¶ comprehensive knowledge of the current situation, trends in the industry and above all, a ¶ sense of direction. Additionally, the research provided some insights about the potential ¶ impacts for society and the economy of the use of nanotechnology. The project brought clarity ¶ and informed judgment to the process of policy formation and goal identification in the ¶ framework of developing countries.

North-South initiatives are modeled globally

Science Daily 05

(Science Daily News, “Nanotechnology's Miniature Answers To Developing World's Biggest Problems”, 05/12/2005, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050512120050.htm//VS)

"Resource-rich member nations of the international community have a self-interest and a moral obligation to support the development and use by less industrialized countries of these top 10 nanotechnologies to address key development challenges," says Dr. Abdallah Daar, MD, Director for Ethics and Policy of the McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine and co-director of the CPGGH.¶ "We propose an initiative, called Addressing Global Challenges Using Nanotechnology, that can be modelled on the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative launched last year by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.¶ "A grand challenge directs investigators to seek a specific scientific or technological breakthrough that would overcome obstacles to solving significant development problems. In our proposed initiative, a specific Grand Challenges in Nanotechnology project would foster scientific and technological advances that would encourage development in less industrialized countries. The top 10 nanotechnology applications identified in our current study are a good starting point for defining these grand challenges.¶ "Our results can provide guidance to developing countries themselves to help target their growing initiatives in nanotechnology. The goal should be to use nanotechnology responsibly to generate real benefits for the 5 billion people in the developing world."

Mexico Key – Region-Specific Nano

Latin America nanotech key to more nanotech innovation in the developing world

Matsuura 6 (Jeffrey H. Matsuura, Assistant Professor and Director of the Program in Law & Technology at the University of Dayton Law School in Dayton, Ohio, “Nanotechnology Regulation and Policy Worldwide,” July 2006, http://site.ebrary.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/lib/umich/docDetail.action?docID=10160965, AC)

An increasing number of countries in the developing world are launching their own nanotechnology efforts. For example, Brazil has committed to invest approximately $30 million in 2005 and 2006 toward launch of its National Programme for the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. This effort to link academic institutions and private companies into a research and commercialization network is intended to move nanotechnology more quickly into applications of greatest relevance to the people of Brazil. Brazil’s neighbor, Argentina, also made a significant commitment to nanotechnology. The government of Argentina announced plans to invest $10 million in nanoscience research over a period of five years. Elsewhere in Latin America, Mexico and Chile have also invested in directed nanotechnology research programs. Many of these research initiatives are directed primarily toward nanotechnology applications affecting fundamental developing country needs. Developing countries tend to focus on two key aspects of nanotechnology development. One is the rapid application of nanotechnology advances to fields such as health care, agriculture, and communication that have the most immediate and most significant relevance to their population. The second area of focus is the development of research and development infrastructures that can be used to facilitate education and economic development in the future, for other applications. A condition that is complicating the discussion associated with nanotechnology and the developing world is the segmentation that now exists between groups of developing countries. Some of the more rapidly developing nations that have traditionally been part of the developing world (e.g., Thailand, Brazil, South Africa) are making more rapid advances than their peers in the realm of science and technology, including nanoscience and nanotechnology. This dynamic nearly results in the creation of three categories of participants when issues associated with nanotechnology development and management are discussed in global arenas.