National Nanotechnology Initiative (U.S.)

The U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) is a nanotechnology research and development (R&D) program established in 2001 to coordinate efforts among federal agencies. The participants include 25 federal agencies that have research and regulatory roles and responsibilities in nanotechnology area. The initiative does not provide research funding itself. However, 13 of the member agencies have nanotechnology-related R&D budgets, the sum [Page 588]of which represent the NNI budget on nanotechnology. Typical funding agencies include the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The goals of the NNI as stated by the participating agencies are to (1) advance a world-class nanotechnology research and development program; (2) foster the transfer of new technologies into products for commercial and public benefit; (3) develop and sustain educational resources, a skilled workforce, and the supporting infrastructure and tools to advance nanotechnology; and (4) support responsible development of nanotechnology.

The NNI originated in November 1996 when a group of members from several agencies started their regular meetings on nanoscale science and technology, which continued until September 1998 when it became the Interagency Working Group on Nanotechnology (IWGN) under the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). The IWGN sponsored various academic activities to promote understanding of nanoscale science and technology, and produced two relevant publications which laid the foundation and provided the justification for the building up of national initiative of nanotechnology. Later, IWGN's plan draft for the initiative went through an approval process, including the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. In its 2001 budget request, the Clinton administration officially referred to it the as the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), which raised nanotechnology to the level of a federal initiative. Following the setup of NNI, the Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee was established under NSTC Committee on Technology to replace the IWGN. The NSET is made up of representatives from member agencies and is responsible for coordinating the federal efforts on nanotechnology. Its secretariat, the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), is responsible for the daily technical and administrative support, and serves as the point of contact for federal nanotechnology activities.