National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (U.S.)

The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), of the U.S. federal government provides technical and administrative support to the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee, serves as a central point of contact for federal nanotechnology research and development (R&D) activities, and provides public outreach on behalf of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, a program established in fiscal year 2001 to coordinate federal nanotechnology R&D.

The NNI creates a framework for a comprehensive nanotechnology R&D program by establishing shared goals, priorities, and strategies, and it provides avenues for each individual agency to leverage the resources of all 25 participating federal agencies. The NNI as a program does not fund research; however, it informs and influences the federal budget and planning processes through its member agencies. The NNCO is funded by NSET subcommittee agency contributions.

The NNCO is the point of contact on federal nanotechnology activities for government organizations, academia, industry, professional societies, foreign organizations, and others to exchange technical and programmatic information. In addition, the NNCO develops and makes materials available and maintains the NNI Website, as directed by the NSET subcommittee.

The activities of the NNCO are considerable. The NNCO coordinates the preparation and publication of NNI interagency planning, budget, and assessment documents, such as the annual NNI supplement to the president's budget. The NNCO organizes meetings of the NSET subcommittee and its working groups. It also organizes NNI-sponsored workshops and, as appropriate, prepares and publishes reports of those workshops.

The NNCO director is detailed from a federal agency to the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and is appointed by the White House co-chair of the NSTC Committee on Technology (CT), in consultation with the chair of the NSET Subcommittee. The NNCO director reports to the White House co-chair of the CT. The NNCO director is charged in the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (Public Law 108–153) to arrange, on behalf of the NSET Subcommittee agencies, with the National Research Council of the National Academies to conduct a triennial review of the NNI and transmit the results of these evaluations to Congress.

The NNI participating agencies contribute in many ways to research in nanotechnology, from basic research and development to regulation and commerce issues. Databanks on U.S. government-funded research can be accessed by searching databases at http://www.research.gov and RePORTER (for NIH awards).