Radical innovation and policy-making: nanotechnology public R&D funding in the USA and the EU

摘要

In this paper, I explore one particular vector of entrepreneurship in nanotechnologies: public R&D funding. Drawing mainly from official archival databases and focused interviews, I do a comparative study of the EU and US public R&D funding systems. My emphasis is on institutional funding coming from the US National Nanotechnology Initiative (NN1) and the EU European Frameworks (FP). 1 show that funding reflects distinct strategies which result from structural differences in the institutions managing public R&D in Europe and in the USA. I conclude by discussing the impact of these differences on entrepreneurship.