As a bank committed to identifying any potential investment for its clients at an early stage, Credit Suisse has been researching nanotechnology since 2002. Set to be one of the key technologies of the 21st century, we believe that nanotechnology offers enormous opportunities for scientific development, and for those who invest wisely.
Nanotechnology may hold solutions for many unresolved global problems such as energy supply, clean drinking water supply and clinical needs. While many of these visionary projects are still at an early development stage, a number of nano-enabled products are already available or will hit the market within the next years.
 Healthcare
The market for nano-enabled healthcare products is amongst the fastest growing. Improved drug formulations confer solubility to otherwise water-insoluble compounds, thereby expanding the pool of potential new drugs. Targeted drug delivery has the potential of reducing side effects by releasing the drug only at the site of required action, for example, in chemotherapy.
Solar cells
There is a high potential for novel, nanotech-based solar cells to drive down prices and open new markets and applications for solar power. Solar panels based on organic materials are cheap in production, lightweight, and flexible which makes them easy to incorporate in facades and rooftops. Moreover, they may yield improved energy conversion. We expect a growing demand for nanotech-based solar cells.
Batteries
The global battery market is worth about $50 billion and is expected to grow above GDP through 2010. Today's batteries, however, exhibit short lifecycles, low energy densities and long recharge times, often not satisfying consumer demand. Nanotechnology offers different opportunities to improve these characteristics. Commercialization of new batteries for electric cars (rechargeable in less than five minutes) and electronic devices is about to start
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 Materials and tools
Stain-resistant textiles and coatings have been on the market for years. The materials sector is close to commodity-style production, while high-tech nano-tools offer interesting stable growth business models. Scanning transmission microscopes and further developments thereof represent indispensable tools for working at the nanometre scale.
IT/electronics
At the forefront of nanotech developments in electronics are organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). There is a good chance that OLED displays will be market-ready in 2008/09 and that stockmarkets will already start to discount the potential new growth opportunities of this industry in the next 12 months. Flat panel displays are thinner, flexible and more energy-efficient and will come at a reasonable price. Therefore, we expect a fast adoption of the new nano-based displays.
Credit Suisse recognised the potential of this key technology at a very early stage and is now making connections between investors and scientists. The bank has been tracking and analysing the nanotech market across all sectors and industries and in June 2007 the bank launched the Credit Suisse Global Nanotech Index (CSGNI), which represents a broad universe of listed nanotech stocks.
Further information
Credit Suisse First Boston
Website: www.credit-suisse.com |
