Today, technology advancements in different areas with contemporary modern methods of production have changed the world economy as well as the relationship between the countries. If in the past, the natural resources were considered as an indicator of superiority and power; today technology advancements determine the position of each country. Therefore resource-rich countries, without such technologies, are practically categorized as underdeveloped. For example, the Ivory Coast, the largest cocoa producer in the world provides 34.4 percent of world cocoa. Switzerland produces the highest quality chocolate using high technology. Switzerland’s added value in the industry is more than the Ivory Coast. Although the natural resources are considered as a relative advantage for a country, it will not be significant without it applying to technology. Nanotechnology is an emerging technology widely used in different areas. One of the advantages of the technology is its applications in different industries. While some technologies are used only in specific applications, nanotechnology is not limited to certain fields and it is possible to be used in all aspects of sciences. Hence the Iranian Nanotechnology Initiative Council (INIC) held “Iran Nanotechnology Festival” in 2008. The festival introduced Iran’s existing capabilities in nanotechnology to the public, promoted public awareness of nanotechnology which in result increased the interaction between the active units in nanotechnology, attracting many investors and assisted in technology transfer agreements. The large number of visitors as well as remarkable scientific and technological achievements encouraged INIC to hold the second Iran Nanotechnology Festival in 2009. The exhibition consisted of more than one hundred exhibitors from universities, research centers, the governmental bodies and industries displayed their achievements. Moreover, the numerous meetings, variety of workshops, lectures, public educations and nanotechnology awards festival was also held at this exhibition.

Nanotechnology applications

As mentioned earlier, nanotechnology has extensive applications in various sciences. In medicine, nanotechnology facilitates new ways of treatment through new drug delivery systems. In medical imaging, nanotechnology based devices take more accurate images from cancerous tumors which might lead to a dramatic change in the treatment of cancer. One of the most important applications of nanotechnology is the environment where nanoparticles significantly increase the efficiency of groundwater pollutants filtration. Promising applications of nanotechnology in the environment is enormous, but most applications are:

• Environmentally safe products, for example green chemistry;
• Filtration materials that are contaminated with hazardous particles;

In the automotive sector, there is a growing demand for nanoscale technologies because of its high performance and efficiency, and in safety and emissions standards. Nanotechnology is currently providing solutions to unwanted heat transfer from the engine and fuel assembly components of vehicles; it would help to cool the interior parts of vehicles, allowing less work to be done by a cooling systems which is result consumes less fuel. Applications of nanotechnology have the potential to change the entire agriculture sector and food industry chain from production to storage, processing, packaging, transportation, and even waste treatment. Nanotechnology has the potential to redesign the production cycle, including the restructuring process and conservation processes which redefine the food habits of people. In the near future, nano structured catalysts will be available which will increase the efficiency of pesticides and herbicides, allowing lower doses to be used.