U.S. Leads World in Nanotech - For Now

The U.S. is currently the global leader in nanotechnology R&D, number of nanotechnology start-up companies, and research output as measured by patents and publications. However, that role is under increasing competitive pressure from other nations, according to an assessment of the multi-agency National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), which organizes federal nanotechnology research.

The NNI report defines nanotech as "encompassing the science, engineering, and technology related to the understanding and control of matter at the length scale of approximately 1 to 100 nanometeres." Nanotech touches upon a broad array of disciplines including chemistry, biology, physics, computational science and engineering and holds tremendous potential for stimulating innovation, the report adds.

Under the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003, President Bush designated the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) as the National Nanotechnology Advisory Panel (NNAP). The panel is charged with assessing the NNI every two years and making recommendations to improve the program. As the first of these assessments, the report focuses on the question of U.S. competitiveness, specifically comparing the U.S. to the European Union, Japan and a broad group of countries identified as "others."

NNAP identified four questions it believes are the primary concerns of the President, Congress and the public:

• Where do we stand?
• Is this money well spent and the program well managed?
• Are we addressing societal concerns and potential risks?
• How can we do better?

Findings indicate that the approximately $1 billion the federal government will spend on nanotechnology R&D this fiscal year is roughly one-quarter of the current global investment by all nations. Total U.S. R&D spending including federal, state and private investments stands at about $3 billion, the report indicates, or one-third of the estimated $9 billion in total worldwide spending by public and private sectors combined.

However, the report also warns that investments in nanotechnology funding from other nations has sharply increased since 2000, while the U.S. federal budget for R&D has begun to level. In fact, President Bush's fiscal year 2006 request for the NNI decreased by 2 percent (see the Feb. 14 issue of the Digest).

Recommendations to improve the program and remain the global leader include further facilitating technology transfer through increased federal-state coordination and improving knowledge management and access to NNI assets. The report also stresses that a knowledgeable workforce is essential to realizing the benefits of nanotechnology. To improve and develop education and training systems, NNAP recommends establishing relationships with the Departments of Education and Labor.

The report is based on input from a technical advisory group consisting of nanotechnology experts within government, industry and academia. PCAST also convened panels of experts and met with members of the Nanoscale Science Engineering and Technology Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council to discuss NNI R&D programs.

The full report, The National Nanotechnology Initiative at Five Years: Assessment and Recommendations of the National Nanotechnology Advisory Panel, is available from PCAST at: http://www.ostp.gov/PCAST/pcast.html