Already in 1959, the American physics Nobel Prize laurate Richard P. Feynman formulated the vision of nanotechnology, the targeted manipulation of material on an atomic level.
In 1990, these visions became reality for the first time. IBM presented the IBM logo as a script nameplate with 35 single Xenon atoms on a nickel mono-crystal surface. [1]
Today, millions of people make use of nanotechnology in information technology. Thus, transistors in modern computer chips are smaller than 50 nanometers. The consumer goods industry offers, among others, sunscreens with improved sun protection factors, toothpaste with bio-mineralizing properties or cleaning liquids with self-cleansing effects.
Further fields of use can be found in medicine, energy technology, environmental protection and the preservation of resources.

At present, about 600 companies in Germany are dealing with the development, application and sales of nanotech products.[2] Besides the large industrial companies, the number of small and medium-sized businesses active in the field of nanotechnology is growing, constantly. Due to the great importance of nanotechnology, large sums of money are being invested in nanotechnology worldwide. In 2006, Germany invested about 330 million Euros in the research and development of nanotechnology. The worldwide market potential of nanotech products is forecast at more than one trillion Euros for 2015.[3].

Besides the positive properties of new technologies, potential risks must also be taken into consideration. Today’s nanotech materials, like their source materials, are categorized with regard to health risks and safety regulations. With the constant increase in the number of products, the health risks also have to be re-thought. The public is increasingly looking for information reporting potential risks. For the safeguarding of manifest products and the production combined with them, the industry must initialize corresponding research.

In 2006, the project NanoCare was initiated by various industries, research companies and universities. Under the direction of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), more transparency for the public in the field of nanotechnology is to be created in the coming years. The project comprises 3 main areas that build on each other: The generation of knowledge, knowledge management and transfer of knowledge. The focus of the generation of knowledge is the research into primary particles, particle agglomerates as well as their behavior in media and systems. To characterize nanoparticles, the most modern analytical methods of various institutes are used. The data gained during research is processed, interpreted and structured in the scope of a web portal. The public can thus access the results of research by means of a database and, in addition, they can participate in discussions during public discussion events. The overall goal of the project is to make an informative platform available to all interested social groups that provides information on the chances and risks of nanotech materials. The NanoCare research association is funded by the BMBF amounting to 5 million Euros. The industrial partners invested a further 2.6 million Euros in the three-year project. [4]