WHO MAKES SEARCHES
Many public and private institutions are engaged in scientific research in this area. Public institutions generally do "base" research to discover new applications. Instead, the industry must carry out the necessary research to provide data to the Authorities that must assess the safety of the products and, possibly, allow their practical use. These last searches are very complex and of high costs that could not be borne by public bodies. To guarantee the correctness of the studies, private research institutes must follow strict experimental protocols that are constantly verified by the Public Authorities.
INTERNATIONAL REGULATION
Without going into details, worldwide there is a significant debate about who is responsible for the regulation of nanotechnology. While some specific regulatory agencies that do not relate to nanotechnology currently cover (to varying degrees) certain products and processes - "linking" nanotechnologies to current regulations - there remain clear disparities between these regimes.