Abstract: In this plenary talk I will describe the research activities of about fifty Mexican nanotechnology research groups, comprising 300 researchers, and I will explain the need for governmental intervention in order to attain the objective of a Mexican Nanotechnology Initiative. In 2006 Mexican Council of Science of Technology funded several research groups to develop projects related to a Mexican National Initiative and in 2009 significant funds will be dedicated to technnological innovation in Mexican companies as well as technological invention derived from academic research. Proper screening of this funds may improve the production of Mexican patents and the development of large research networks all along Mexico where Nanotechnology research has been done mainly by public universities. Nanotechnology research groups in Mexico typically have five members and are devoted to a wide range of research subjects. Nanotechnology Laboratories have been founded in several Mexican States, using computational techniques, nanomicroscopy and chemical synthesis to develop new materials as well as new theoretical approaches to understand nanotechnology properties. Other Mexican nanotechnology research groups study the social and environmental impact of nanotechnology. The size frequency distribution of these research groups follows a power law in agreement with a model for social interaction although there are yet no signs of an institutional organization of these research groups which might lead to the creation of a Mexican Nanotechnology Initiative. Besides, it is also difficult to know which companies facing major economic hard times will have enough strength to complete the research and development tasks required to innovate. This will demand a proper selection of the companies funded and a careful screening of the funds devoted by CONACYT for innovation in Mexican companies.

Brief Biography of the Speaker:
Armando Barranon was born in Mexico City. B.Sc. in Mathematical Physics, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico City, 1986. M.Sc. in Applied Statistics, The University of Texas at El Paso, 1989. Dr. in Philosophy, U. La Salle, Magna Cum Laude, Mexico City, 2004. M.Sc. Physics, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico City, 2005. Dr. in Physics of Materials, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico City, 2008. Postdoctoral Fellow, U. Zacatecas, Mexico, 2008.
He is Full Professor at Department of Basic Sciences, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Azcapotzalco, Mexico City. Research interests include Nuclear Physics, Computational Physics and Philosophy of Technology. In 2007, Dr. Barranon founded the Nanoeducation Seminar at UAM-Azcapotzalco.
Dr. Barranon is member of the Mexican National Research System, member of American Physical Society, Sociedad Mexicana de Fisica, Sociedad Mexicana de Matematicas, Sociedad Mexicana de Termodinamica, Sociedad Mexicana de Historia de la Ciencia y la Tecnologia, among others. Nowadays, Dr. Barranon is on sabbatical leave at University of Texas at El Paso, funded by the Mexican Council of Science of Technology and UAM-A.