TMS Public and Governmental Affairs Resource Center

The House Science and Technology Committee, after a series of hearings, has reported out H.R.5940, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) Act of 2008. The bill makes several changes to the implementation of process and priorities of the NNI and is based in part on mandated formal reviews of NNI by the National Academy of Sciences and the NNI Advisory Panel. H.R.5940 does not substantially alter NNI but makes adjustments to some of the priorities of the program and strengthens one of the core components—environmental and safety research. “With regard to risk-reduction research,” said Committee Chairman Bart Gordon, “a key provision of the bill is to require that NNI develop a plan for the environmental and safety research component, and a roadmap for implementing it, which includes explicit near-term and long-term goals and the funding required, by goal and by agency.” The bill would assign responsibility to a senior official at the Office of Science and Technology Policy to oversee this planning and implementation process. It also sets specific steps to increase the number of nanotechnology-related projects supported under the Small Business Innovation and Research Program and the Technology Innovation Program, established under the America COMPETES Act. Finally, the legislation incorporates provisions that address science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce needs. One provision builds on the National Science Foundation Math and Science Partnership program to use nanotechnology education activities as a vehicle to raise the interest of secondary school students in possible STEM careers.

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