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Twelve years of nanoscience and nanotechnology publications in Mexico

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Abstract

Mexico is the second country in Latin America with regard to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research and Development, according to various indicators. Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies are viewed as strategic areas in government policy since 2001. In the last few decades, important policy changes in Science and Technology (S&T) have been implemented with an aim to integrate the business sector with government scientific research. This article reviews information from the Web of Science relevant to articles on nanoscience and nanotechnology stretching back 12 years, and explains the changes in S&T policy. The information uncovered leads to three conclusions: the participation of the business sector is negligible; there is a significant concentration of scientific production among a very few institutions; and the country is essentially divided geographically, with scientific production concentrated in the center and north of the country.

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Notes

  1. Luna-Morales writes about scientific publications and refers to Coll azo-Reyes: “The accumulated number of published papers had reached the 8000 mark by the late 1970s, a figure equivalent to the number of articles published annually in mainstream journals in recent years by Mexican researchers” (Luna-Morales 2012, p. 736).

  2. “The recent [March 2006] meeting of President Bush, Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Cancun underscores the importance of establishing and maintaining strong economic collaborations among the NAFTA partners to fulfill the Security and Prosperity Partnership program for enhanced North American competitiveness. We expect the BNSL to provide a unique and important mechanism for achieving the economic goals of our governments and the aspirations of their citizens in the border region” (Acosta 2006a).

  3. Monterrey Institute of High Technology.

  4. Ibero-American University.

  5. Public Autonomous University of the State of Puebla.

  6. Some authors believe that the largest part of the public funding for R&D destined for businesses were in fact received by transnational corporations that do not conduct research in the country (Loyola Díaz and Paredes López 2009).

  7. The majority of the 35 Mixed Funds incorporated (32 state and 3 municipal) were created in 2001, with the exception of the DF, which began in 2007.

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Acknowledgments

This material is based, in part, upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement No. 0938099. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Edgar Zayago Lau would like to thank PROMEP & CONACYT for the support provided.

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Lau, E.Z., Frederick, S. & Foladori, G. Twelve years of nanoscience and nanotechnology publications in Mexico. J Nanopart Res 16, 2193 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-013-2193-1

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