It has been 20 years since the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) was officially approved in the United States. The country has made a state investment of more than $ 30 billion in the nanotechnology over the past 20 years, and more than 30 federal departments, independent agencies, and commissions have partaken in this program. Nanotechnology is one of the strategic technologies that, in convergence with the other three biological, information, and cognitive technologies, will affect the future of human life on Earth and other planets.
The United States continues to focus on fundamental research in nanotechnology, indicating a particular focus on the exploration of the evolving fields of nanotechnology in the future. The United States confronts competitors from East Asia in this area and therefore needs smart planning with more government investment to maintain its historic superiority. However, much research is underway in China and Japan at the cutting edge of nanotechnology, which will seriously challenge this edge.
President Joe Biden believes that the US National Science and Technology Strategy needs to be refreshed and reinvigorated to set the country on a strong path for the upcoming 75 years. In this regard, in January 2021, Biden named Eric Lander as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). This office is responsible for the formulation of the essential policy and planning in various fields of science and technology, including nanotechnology.
Under a law passed by the United States Congress in 2003 called the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, the president must effectuate the National Nanotechnology Program. In order to implement this program, The National Science and Technology Council should develop a strategic plan to set goals, priorities, and outcomes as a guide for the agencies involved in the National Nanotechnology Program. Since the beginning of the US National Nanotechnology Program, five strategic plans have been developed by this council.
This year, on October 8, on the eve of the ninth day of the tenth month, which is called the National Day of Nanotechnology in the United States, the sixth update of these programs called the National Nanotechnology Initiative Strategic Plan was published by the Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology, which is a subset of the National Science and Technology Council. You can download this document here.
An analysis of the United States’ most recent approaches to nanotechnology development in this program was published here.
