National Nanotechnology Coordination Office

National Nanotechnology Coordination Office
Name	National Nanotechnology Coordination Office
Formed	2001
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.

National Nanotechnology Coordination Office is a U.S. federal office established to coordinate activities related to nanoscale science and engineering across multiple agencies, advisory bodies, and research institutions. It serves as a liaison among executive branch entities, congressional committees, academic laboratories, and industrial consortia involved in nanotechnology research, development, and policy. The office supports strategic planning, interagency collaboration, and public outreach for initiatives arising from national nanotechnology programs.

History

The office was created in the early 21st century following recommendations from the National Science and Technology Council, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and reports by the National Research Council and the Office of Science and Technology Policy that called for centralized coordination of nanoscale research. Its establishment followed legislative and programmatic developments such as the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act and early investments by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Over time, interactions with entities like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Commerce shaped its role in stewardship, risk assessment, and standards development. Influential advisory bodies including the Nanotechnology Technical Advisory Group and academic stakeholders from institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Georgia Institute of Technology contributed to its evolving agenda. International engagement involved coordination with organizations like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the European Commission, and national research agencies including Japan Science and Technology Agency and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Mission and Functions

The office’s mission encompasses coordination of interagency strategy, communication with legislative bodies such as the United States Congress and committees like the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and facilitation of stakeholder input from universities, national laboratories, and industry groups including the Semiconductor Research Corporation, Intel Corporation, IBM, and trade associations like the National Association of Manufacturers. Core functions include information synthesis for agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, data dissemination to standards organizations like the International Organization for Standardization and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and support for policy reviews tied to statutes administered by the Office of Management and Budget and the Government Accountability Office. The office also collaborates with award-granting bodies such as the National Medal of Technology and Innovation program and partners with research centers like the Center for Nanotechnology in Society.

Organizational Structure

The office operates within a federal coordination framework linked to the National Nanotechnology Initiative governance and the National Science and Technology Council committees. Staff interact with program offices at the National Institutes of Health including the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, with facilities such as the Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and with university-based centers like the Rice University Nanotechnology Research Center and the California Institute of Technology laboratories. Liaison roles include contacts with congressional staff from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and executive branch policy advisors in the White House technology policy teams. Advisory relationships extend to professional societies such as the American Chemical Society, the American Physical Society, and the Materials Research Society.

Programs and Initiatives

The office supports program coordination for initiatives spanning basic research, translational development, standards, and safety. It facilitates cross-agency programs supported by the National Science Foundation, translational partnerships with the Small Business Innovation Research program and the Technology Innovation Program, and risk assessment projects in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Outreach initiatives include workshops with the Brookings Institution, conferences convened with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and information resources distributed to stakeholders such as Small Business Administration clients and participants in programs like the Manufacturing USA institutes. The office also assists coordination for international programs such as bilateral working groups with the European Commission and multilateral dialogues under the OECD nanomaterials project.

Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement

Engagement spans academia, industry, NGOs, and international partners. Academic partners include research-intensive universities like Harvard University, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Purdue University, and University of Michigan. Industry collaborators involve multinational firms such as DuPont, Toyota, Samsung, and BASF as well as startup ecosystems connected to Silicon Valley accelerators and federal technology transfer offices at institutions like Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The office convenes dialogues with non-governmental organizations including World Health Organization interlocutors on health implications, environmental NGOs, and standards bodies such as the American National Standards Institute. It also maintains contacts with foreign ministries of science and technology and research councils such as the UK Research and Innovation and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

Impact and Policy Influence

The office has influenced federal research priorities, interagency resource allocation, and regulatory discussions related to nanomaterials, collaborating with investigative bodies such as the Government Accountability Office and advisory reports from the National Academies. Its coordination has informed guidance developed by the Food and Drug Administration for products with nanoscale components, contributed to measurement and metrology efforts at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and supported workforce development initiatives with the Department of Education and professional societies like the IEEE. Through convening stakeholder workshops and drafting policy briefs for the White House and congressional committees, the office has played a role in shaping funding strategies at agencies including the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, and in fostering translational pathways linking universities, national laboratories, and firms participating in programs like the Small Business Technology Transfer.

Category:Nanotechnology organizations in the United States