The author justifies the need of making a critical assessment of the real condition of the development in the sphere of nanotechnologies by way of conducting a survey of the companies engaged in that sphere. The author generalized the international experience of conducting surveys of nanotechnology companies in the countries leading in nanotechnology production, namely USA, Canada, Germany, Finland, Australia, and Russian Federation, which also made it possible to select the problematic aspects characteristic for Ukraine's practice of statistical monitoring of the nanotechnology sphere.
Special attention is given to covering the results of the survey of Ukraine's nanotechnology companies conducted in mid-2013. On the survey's results, a conclusion was made that Ukraine's nanomarket is now in its initial state of development, is fragmentary, unstable and geographically inhomogeneous.
Besides, one can state a considerable Ukraine's lagging behind the world's leading countries in the development of the nanotechnology sphere. By the number of companies engaged in nanotechnology activities, our country is practically at the level of Canada, Germany and Finland in 2000–2005. However, unlike the global tendencies, where the main spheres of economic activities of the nanotechnology companies are the high tech sectors, the vast majority of Ukraine's nanocompanies belong, by type of economic activity, to high school units and other kind of institutions.
The share of manufacturing companies using and/or creating nanotechnologies is very small and varies within 10–20% of all nanotechnology companies. On the whole, the level of engagement of Ukraine's companies in nanotechnology activities is very low, and vast majority of non-technological items are experimental. Another characteristic feature of Ukraine's nanotechnology market is a weak competitive environment and the companies' orientation to domestic consumer. There is almost no competition between the domestic companies. A certain struggle is only observed in the area of government funded R&D projects.
At the same time, foreign companies are already beginning to seize certain market segments, while Ukrainian nanotechnology produce is practically undemanded on the foreign market. Besides, the author highlights the results of an investigation on the advisability of cooperation in the sphere of nanotechnologies with the countries of the Customs Union (first of all with the Russian Federation as one of the global leaders in funding the development of nanotechnologies) and EU countries. It also was proven that active development of nanotechnologies in Ukraine is hindered by a series of problems. The key problems are the lack of investment resources and skilled personnel, administrative barriers, low demand for the sector's produce etc.
Besides, the author justifies the preconditions for reforming the system of statistical monitoring of nanotechnology activities in Ukraine.

Keywords: nanoindustry, nanotechnology, survey of nanotechnology companies, monitoring, statistics

The article estimates scientific and technological potential of the domestic sphere of nanotechnology. The study is based on economic and statistical analysis of primary data (reports of research institutions) by the producers of nanotechnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Also the article investigates the organizational and economic preconditions of research in the implementation of nanotechnology. It is found that the state policy to encourage nanotechnological activities is sporadic and the result is inefficient. The basic tools of public policy in this area remain programmatic forms that provide budget funds, at national and sectoral levels, to finance the approved projects. Generalization of the annual reports of scientific institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine has revealed that, in recent years, in Ukraine, R&D related to nanotechnology have been carried out by more than 70 organizations, representing about 35% of organizations subordinated to NAS. It is found that most of the institutions that conduct research in this area belong to such NAS branches as Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Physical and Technical Problems of Materials and Chemistry Department. Analysis of the activities guidelines of the research institutions engaged in nanotechnological R&D shows that the greatest potential in Ukraine is possessed by nanophysics. In addition, our scientists have a potential to perform works in nanobiotechnologies, nanochemistry and development of various nanomaterials. However, it should be noted that such a sufficiently high level of development has ben achieved mainly due to the completed projects and significant legacy of research institutes of NAS of Ukraine for a long time of their operation, as well as very large support of the international scientific community (particularly through grants and joint projects). Most of the contracts and projects of the NASU institutions specialized in research in the field of nanotechnology, were executed by order of the European Union and the United States, and given the complexity of relations with Russia, we can assume that these will continue to deepen cooperation. In addition, analysis of primary documents leads to the conclusion about the low level of cooperation with of the analyzed domestic institutions with Ukraine's education system (low number of teaching scientists, a small number of projects implemented jointly with universities), which, together with other personnel problems inherent in the domestic sphere of nanotechnology can lead to further deterioration of the quality of training for nanotechnology specialties. Results of the study reveal the problematic aspects of the current stage of development of nanotechnologies in Ukraine, whose solution should take place within the framework of the Strategy of Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies in Ukraine, which should be developed in the near future to enhance competitive advantage and provide high value-added in domestic industry at the expense of large-scale introduction of nanotechnological innovation.

Keywords: nanotechnology, public policy, research in nanotechnology, institutions of NAS of Ukraine.