Prototypes of Emerging Metropolitan Nanodistricts in the Unied States and Europe

In this paper, we explore nanotechnology research and commercialization at a regional level. The study identifies leading US and European prototype “nanodistricts” or metropolitan areas active in nanotechnology research over the 1990-2006 timeframe. We probe the factors underlying the emergence of these metropolitan areas through exploratory cluster analysis. We find that while most of the leading nanodistricts are found in locations that were prominent in previous rounds of emerging technologies, new geographic concentrations of nanotechnology research have also surfaced.