Nanotechnology bill called 'historic'

A bill passed by Congress in last week's rush to begin the holiday season could change the future of U.S. science as well as society, the measure's supporters said.

The bill, S. 189, would authorize $3.7 billion over the next four years for federal nanotechnology programs and would re-organize the ways the U.S. government and research communities approach what many see as the next big thing.

Calling it "big" usually elicits puns, since nanoscience is the manipulation of matter at the molecular level in ways that can change just about any aspect of society imaginable, such as exponentially stronger materials. The bill is headed for President Bush's signature.

"This bill represents a major commitment on the part of the federal government to fund nanotechnology research and development," said Heidi Tringe, House Science Committee spokeswoman. "A robust R&D program will help to keep the nanotechnology industries of the future and the jobs they will provide here in America."

"The bill also ensures that new monies will be spent wisely by providing a formal structure for coordination of research across the federal agencies in the National Nanotechnology Initiative [NNI]," Tringe added. "It emphasizes interdisciplinary research, addresses societal concerns raised by nanotechnology, and requires outside reviews of the program."

The bill funds the NNI, which involves nearly 20 agencies, at $849 million, a 9.8 percent increase over fiscal 2003. The legislation requires the creation of research centers, education and training initiatives, research into societal and ethical implications of nanotechnology, and efforts to transfer technology for commercial uses.

The National Science Foundation, the coordinator of the NNI, has estimated the nanotechnology applications may be worth more than $1 trillion in the global economy in little more than a decade, according to House bill sponsor Mike Honda, D-Calif.

Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., said in a statement, "The U.S. is the leader in nanotechnology and must remain so as this new field starts remaking the marketplace. The nanotechnology program will be a model of government, university, industry cooperation, and of coordination, interdisciplinary research and public involvement."

The bill emphasizes technology transfer and the rapid transfer of research results out of the laboratory and into the private sector. The Science Committee intends to keep a close eye on how these programs are administered, Tringe said.

The bill is "historic," according to Phillip Bond, undersecretary of Commerce for technology administration, because of the investment in U.S. innovation and economic growth. "America has always been on the leading edge of exploring new frontiers and this new science is no exception," Bond said in a statement. "Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize industry, changing the things we make and the way we make them -- literally from the bottom up."

"When one looks at the next 100 years of human development and the growth of the global economy, no vote taken by Congress in the past decade will have a greater effect than today's overwhelming passage of the nanotechnology bill," said F. Mark Modzelewski, executive director of the NanoBusiness Alliance.