Although nanotechnology is said by many authors to be one of the key(technology) or future industries of the 21st century and though it may be supposed that besides the engagement of large-scale industries there will be an entrepreneurial scene of small and medium sized enterprises (SME) in Germany comparable to that of the biotechnology sector, there are presently no studies that inform - in addition to the mere descriptions of the wide field of application of nanotechnologies and case studies of selected firms - about the dynamics of the nanotechnology scene at different locations and the institutional context having an effect upon it. However, a more detailed analysis on this subject is indispensable, as long as one tries to improve the entrepreneurial climate by means of economic policy in order to reach the aim of the German Federal Government [1] to increase the number of middle and long term firm foundations in the nanotechnology sector. Within a research project started among other things for this reason, a survey was conducted between April and September 2003, and parts of the results shall be presented here in due conciseness.
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