Over the next two decades small scale technologies - micro technologies and nano technologies - will have profound effects on industrial products and processes, on the lives of individuals and on the nature of human society. Peter Sheehan, Kim Sweeny, Bruce Rasmussen, Greg Tegart and Dana Nicolau examine the implications of small scale technologies for industries and firms in Victoria, in the context of the broader drivers of change in those industries.

This report shows that these technologies will have a pervasive impact on the competitive position of Victorian firms in a wide range of industries, from health and food to transport, energy and the environmental industries. There is little doubt that developing high-level capability in small scale technologies will become increasingly central to the competitiveness of many industries over the next decade, and indeed to the survival of many firms. It will also be necessary to maximize the welfare of Victorians in areas such as health, the environment and security.