Oct. 9, 2003 – China has risen to third place in nanotech-related patent applications, according to Asia Pulse.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, the nation had fewer than 1,000 nano patent applications before 2001. During the past two years, the number has grown to 2,400 — 12 percent of the world’s total, the report said.

The report also stated that while Chinese researchers have been working with nanomaterials since the 1990s, they still lag behind developed countries in studying nanoelectronics and nanobiotechnology.