It follows an announcement last year that the European Commission is allocating €700 million to nanotech research.
Nanotechnology is the growing industry built around the ability to control materials on the nano scale. One nanometer is one billionth of a metre, around 80,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. It is anticipated that when developed the industry will bring great advances to medicine, electronics and the IT sectors, among others.
Scott Cooper, technology policy manager for Hewlett-Packard told the Washington Post, “The dollars are very important, but the combination of funding and direction is just as much so”.
Research is being carried out at present, but in a fairly piecemeal fashion, and it is hoped that with increased federal funding and a coordinated approach, at least among government agencies, then the new science will develop much more quickly.
The Nanotechnology Research and Development Act calls on the President to implement a national programme to promote research, development, education, technology transfer and commercial application activities.