National Nanotechnology Advisory Panel (U.S.)

The National Nanotechnology Advisory Panel (NNAP) was created under the authority of the 21th Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003 (PL No: 108–153). The law was signed by then president George W. Bush on December 3, 2003.

The Act authorized the president to create a permanent National Nanotechnology Research Program (NNRP) to replace the expiring National Nanotechnology Initiative. The Act authorizes the promotion of networking facilities, academic institutions, national labs, and industry. The National Science and Technology Council was given the mandate to oversee the planning, management, and coordination of the NNRP.

The Act instructed the director of the National Science Foundation to create a new center for handling issues related to nanoscience and nanotechnology. It also directed the president to coordinate goals and programs involved with nanoscience through a National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNC). The NCC will be engaged in constant coordination of all national programs and projects.

Section 4 of the Act instructed the president to establish a National Nanotechnology Advisory Panel. The members of panel were to be primarily from academic institutions and industry commended to the president.

The NNAP is responsible for advising the president and the National Science and Technology Council on matters relating to the program, such as assessing trends and developments in nanotechnology science and engineering, progress made in implementing the program; the need to revise the program, the balance among the components of the program, including funding levels for the program component areas, whether the program component areas, priorities, and technical goals developed by the council are helping to maintain United States leadership in nanotechnology, the management, coordination, implementation, and activities of the program, and whether societal, ethical, legal, environmental, and workforce concerns are adequately addressed.

The Advisory Panel was ordered to report to the president no less than once every two fiscal years. Its reports would include recommendations for improvements in the program. The first report was due in 2005. The report and all subsequent reports were to be transmitted to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Technology, the House of Representatives Committee on Science, and other appropriate committees of the Congress by the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

On September 30, 2001, President Bush signed Executive Order 13226 to form the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). In July 2004, he signed an executive order that designated PCAST as the agency to release the NNAP 2005 report.

The first report, released May 18, 2005, found that the United States was the global leader in nanoscience and technology. It found that the billions of dollars being spent by the government were well managed and that the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) had done excellent work organizing nanotechnology research under the auspices of the federal government. It also urged the NNI to continue its research into ways to prevent social, economic or medical problems from arising from nanotechnology.

The second NNAP report was issue in April 2008. It focused much of its information on risks posed by nanotechnology to health and the environment. It also reported that the United States remains the leader in the field, but that China and Europe were making significant progress. It also recommended continued investment in the program. The next report is to be issued in 2010.

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