Karnataka government is planning to set up India's first Nano Park in Bangalore before the year-end. The state information technology and biotechnology department has identified a 15 acre plot in north Bangalore for the Park. The state government is awaiting the formal clearance from the Union government's science and technology committee to commence the construction.

The Park will operate out of makeshift premises at the University of Agricultural Sciences but specific timing was not disclosed.

According to M N Vidyashankar, secretary, information technology and biotechnology department of Karnataka government, the nano technology initiative will take off with a training programme expected to benefit 7,000-8,000 IT graduates, later to be extend the training to biotech graduates.

The state will be hosting an annual two-day global conference, which is to be held in Bangalore between December 6 and 7, 2007.

The Union government had allocated Rs 1,000 crore for Nanotechnology research and training programmes and the investment of Rs 250 crore is part of this fund.

Karnataka was identified for the Park after taking into account the efforts of research teams at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR). IBM researchers from Bangalore have worked on visualizing nanoscale objects as part of an international research programme.

Nanotechnology is still in a formative phase, it has been maturing rapidly. The sector is also expected to provide over 2 million jobs worldwide. India is looked upon for nano tech efforts following its success in the information technology fields.