PERSPECTIVES Sectorial analysis of nanotechnology companies in Argentina Guillermo Foladori & Edgar Záyago Lau & Tomás Carroza & Richard P. Appelbaum & Liliana Villa & Eduardo Robles-Belmont Received: 23 December 2016 /Accepted: 20 April 2017 # Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2017 Abstract In this paper, we identify 37 companies that produce nano-enabled products in Argentina. We locate the products of these firms in terms of both their eco- nomic sector and position in a value chain. The research was done through a four-step methodology. Firstly, an inventory of firms was created. Secondly, the firms were classified by their economic sector, following the United Nations economic classification. Thirdly, the firms were located within a simple nanotechnology value chain. Finally, the products were classified according to their final destination, being either means of production or final consumer products. The results show that healthcare, cosmetics, and medicine is the most repre- sented sector along the value chain, followed by electronics. Keywords Nanotechnology . Value chain . Argentina . Companies . New technologies . Innovation Introduction This article analyzes the distribution of nanotechnology firms in Argentina by economic sectors and in relation with a generic value chain. 1 Argentina is considered the third country in development of nanotechnologies in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico. As in the rest of Latin American countries, the information on the performance of these technologies is scarce and irregu- lar. At this time, we have taken the step of analyzing the distribution of the firms across economic sectors, employing a simplified value chain analysis. Thirty- seven firms were identified and grouped, according to the economic sector that they belong to and the place that they take in a value chain. This is an initial exercise in classifying these companies, which will enable inter- ested researchers to better gauge their social and eco- nomic impact. J Nanopart Res (2017) 19:186 DOI 10.1007/s11051-017-3864-0 1 We are grateful to Magdalena Silva for the help with the proofreading and editing in English. G. Foladori (*) Department of Development Studies, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico e-mail: gfoladori@gmail.com E. Z. Lau Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV), Mexico City, Mexico e-mail: zayagolau@gmail.com T. Carroza Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina e-mail: tomascarrozza@gmail.com R. P. Appelbaum University of California, Santa Barbara, USA e-mail: rich@isber.ucsb.edu L. Villa Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico e-mail: laura_lilianavilla@yahoo.com.mx E. Robles-Belmont Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico e-mail: roblesbelmont@yahoo.fr