Report Warns U.S. Could Lose Nanotech Edge
A White House advisory panel made up of science and technology experts are warning U.S. policymakers that the U.S. lead in the emerging nanotechnology field is in danger of slipping because of aggressive investments and strategies launched by competitors such as China, the European Union and South Korea.
The report, released late last week by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, said the United States remains the leader in nanotechnology, which involves the manipulation of matter at scales smaller than 100 billionths of meter, but the country should take certain key steps to help maintain its edge. These include increasing funding for product commercialization and technology transfer to ensure that nanotech R&D can make it to the marketplace and increased investments to study environmental, health and safety issues related to nanotech. The report is the third assessing the 10-year old National Nanotechnology Initiative, a multiagency federal initiative related to nanotechnology research and development.
The report also recommended enhancing the National Nanotechnology Coordinating Office, which helps coordinate the federal government's nanotech R&D activities, by boosting its annual budget from $3 million to $5 million. To help retain scientific and engineering talent, PCAST also recommended providing green cards to foreigners who receive advanced degrees in science or engineering from U.S. colleges or universities and who can show they have obtained U.S.-based scientific or engineering jobs. A similar proposal is included in immigration overhaul legislation proposed by Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
"Going forward we need to place even more emphasis on the commercialization of the technology--through, for example, strategic funding of nanomanufacturing--supported by improved measures of the true value-added that nano products can bring to our economy," Maxine Savitz, co-chairwoman of PCAST's National Nanotechnology Initiative working group, said in a statement.
The report noted that while the United States still invests more money in nanotech R&D, $5.7 billion in 2008, other countries are beginning to close the gap. It noted that while U.S. public and private investments in nanotech grew by 18 percent between 2003 and 2008, overall investments worldwide grew by 27 percent.
Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus