Nanometrology in Emerging Economies: The Case of Mexico

Nanotechnology is a global phenomenon already impacting, in some way, the scientific, technological, economic and social development, and the culture, of emerging economies, like Mexico’s. As any new technology, on one hand it has the potential to be one of the main sources of productivity growth for these economies, but on the other it can also be the origin of drawbacks if no appropriate actions are taken about. The effects of such impact depend on how the country prepares itself concerning the aforementioned aspects of development. Metrology constitutes a discipline which is transversal to all of these aspects. It has to move forward in order to face the challenges derived from nanotechnology, in proportion to the particular status of the country. Metrology has to be seen as an essential part of nanotechnologies. Any activity within science and technology must be accompanied by reliable measurements. The current paper describes issues and challenges in metrology to be faced in Mexico concerning this technology.