Converging Technologies

Converging Technologies is the term used to characterize the convergence of activities in the field of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive science. This is also known as the NBIC field.

The vision of capitalizing on the synergy or integration of various scientific disciplines or technological fields is not new. Paradigmatically this goes back to the renaissance and enlightenment period. In practice, many of the most challenging discoveries in the 19th and 20th century - first in the natural sciences and subsequently in engineering - came from interdisciplinary crossovers (even if not always intended).

The 'new convergence' paradigm focusing on four of the most challenging and rapidly developing contemporary S&T areas, namely, nanotechnology, biotechnology, information science and cognitive science is U.S.-born. In December 2001 the National Science Foundation (NSF) invited several scientists and U.S. government officials and members of congress to a strategic dialogue workshop to discuss the development of the four NBIC fields, their possible synergies and their potential impacts 'on improving human capabilities at the microscopic, individual, group and societal levels'. The outputs of this workshop were published by the NSF in a report entitled Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance. According to this report, technological convergence in the 21st century begins at the nanoscale, relates to information and combines knowledge from the biological and cognitive sciences.