ABSTRACT
Nanotechnology has progressed from its conception to birth at a reasonable pace and during its crawling phase experienced basic teething issues like all pioneering technologies. The early signs of nano’s attempts to stand on its own feet were seen in 1999 with the emergence of promising options involving first-generation nanomaterials, molecular manufacturing processes, tools, devices, and systems for a wide range of applications. Universities together with centers of higher learning and excellence immensely contributed to the growth of knowledge firing the imagination of several technology entrepreneurs, who began to visualize and intelligently anticipate opportunities beyond the horizon. It has been a fertile area for the seeding and germination of entrepreneurs setting up new business ventures. The universities in which scientists and technologists were working then offered to rent the rights to their patents on liberal terms to the techno-entrepreneurs to enable the developed knowledge to transit from the academic domain into a fuzzy commercial universe.
