New science bill resolves key House, Senate disputes

The Senate Commerce Committee's bill authorizing a coordinated effort among the federal government's nanotechnology programs looks a lot more like the House-passed version of the bill-and a lot more like what the technology industry wanted.

Now some congressional supporters are planning to discuss the possibility of "pre-conferencing" the bill to resolve differences before it goes to the chambers for final votes, a House source said. Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden, the original sponsor of the Senate bill, S. 189, is hoping to see it go to the House floor in July, according to his spokeswoman.

As amended by the Commerce Committee, the Senate bill reflects a compromise on the establishment of an advisory committee on nanotechnology, which involves manipulating matter at the molecular level to create better, faster and stronger products in a wide range of disciplines.

The new version would establish the advisory panel, as Wyden and the tech industry sought, but also would give the White House its wish of placing the panel under the existing President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).

The Senate committee also increased the size and timeframe of the proposed nanotech budget from $677 million for one year to $4.7 billion over five years, bringing it closer to the House version. The new bill also would require the establishment of interdisciplinary research centers.

And it would authorize $5 million-and a new name, the American Nanotechnology Preparedness Center-for an entity dedicated to societal issues related to nanotechnology. That language differs from the House version.

Industry applauded a new section aimed at helping move nanotech innovations from research to commercial applications. That section would establish a commercialization center at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and a clearinghouse for commercialization information.

Bruce Heiman, a partner at the Preston Gates law firm, said the goal of the clearinghouse is to ensure that industry is "not recreating the wheel-or replicating the atom, as it may be in this case." Preston Gates represents the NanoBusiness Alliance, the first and largest nanotech industry association and chief proponent of the clearinghouse.

The revised bill also calls for the use of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program to assist small firms and for a new center to promote the transfer of technologies for manufacturing nano materials.

"It's very inclusive," said Scott Cooper, manager for technology policy at Hewlett-Packard. "It brings everybody who needs to be part of the process in from the beginning to get R&D up and running and to make sure it's the most viable and effective use of that funding."

The NanoBusiness Alliance also wants a study on the size of the nano market and industry, and its potential impact on the economy.

No opposition to the bill appears to be emerging on Capitol Hill, but some observers predict that resistance to funding nanotech research will rise as awareness of the field increases.