New Materials Technology in Developing Countries

Activity in materials technology is age-old, starting from the use of agricultural materials, stone, bronze, iron, clays and ceramics. However, most of the developing countries have to varying degrees missed out on the scientific and industrial revolution of the last 300 years, including the revolution in materials technology. This has resulted in a reduced availability of materials per capita in developing countries in terms of both quality and quantity, as compared to the advanced countries.1 The developed world is currently undergoing yet another revolution in materials, an example of which is high-temperature superconductors. It is imperative that the developing world is adequately prepared to exploit the opportunities opened up by these new materials. The priority is to build capability in the developing world to exploit the opportunities from the new revolution in materials while meeting its challenges. This will involve multidimensional activity, including building capacity for technology forecasting, technology assessment, formulating materials policy, education, training, research, development, manufacturing, testing and standardization.