With limited resources, Hong Kong has yielded significant output in nanotechnology research.

This was the message from Secretary for Commerce, Industry & Technology Henry Tang in the Legislative Council today.

Mr Tang said Hong Kong's approach is to focus on specific niche areas in which we are strong, such as in nano-materials.

He said one of our universities successfully fabricated the world's first single-walled carbon nanotubes with a diameter of 0.4 of a nanometre in 2000.

Our universities' research work on carbon nanotubes and nanostrcutures have also been published in highly prestigious international journals.

Mr Tang said in the past five years $160.9 million was allocated from public-sector resources, notably grants from the Research Grants Council and the Innovation & Technology Fund, to nanotechnology research carried out at local universities.

These grants have attracted an additional contribution of $36.7 million from the industry through donations and sponsorship.