Administration Seeks Feedback On Nanotech Priorities
The Obama administration on Tuesday began soliciting feedback on a new strategy for agencies to help revolutionize industry through the use of nanotechnology, Nextgov.com reported.
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy issued a request for information from industry, academia and other stakeholders on specific approaches that will be published in a December strategic plan. In the document, officials posed questions based on the last national plan -- developed in 2007 -- about future research priorities, funding, coordination, partnerships, evaluations and policy.
Separately, OSTP expects to host an online dialogue from July 13 through Aug. 15 to gather feedback more informally. A public workshop in Arlington, Va., July 13-14, will offer the same opportunity for those who want to comment in person.
The administration of then President George W. Bush established the National Nanotechnology Initiative in 2001 to align government-wide research and development in support of the emerging discipline, which is anticipated to affect every sector of the economy. Nanotechnology is the practice of controlling matter at the atomic or molecular levels.
Tuesday's solicitation asks what actions are necessary to achieve the 2007 goals, which called for establishing a world-class nanotechnology research and development program, promoting commercial production of new nanomaterials, developing a skilled nanotechnology workforce, and developing an understanding of the health and environmental risks related to nanotechnology. To read more, click here.
