Government Support Could Put U.S. Nanotechnology Sector Out Front

by Terry Costlow

In the United States, legislators have taken bold moves designed to help American industry remain at the forefront of the emerging field of nanotechnology, which is expected to become a multi-billion-dollar marketplace. Late last year, President Bush signed a bill designed to bolster U.S. efforts in many aspects of molecular-level R&D. The 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act allocates $3.7 billion in funding over the next four years. At the same time, the National Science Foundation established the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN), which links 13 major universities — letting them share expensive equipment, while improving the communications flow and helping to improve educational materials.

Other countries are positioning themselves for a piece of the action, as well. The European Commission, for example, has dedicated 1.3 billion Euros for nanotechnology R&D over the next three years, as part of its massive Sixth Framework program. Japan’s Ministry for Education, Science and Technology, and its Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry are spending a billion dollars on nanotechnology research. The competition promises to be intense.

U.S. Legislation Promotes Efforts That Will Lead to Commercialization

America’s 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act provides a broad push for organizing U.S. research which often develops technologies and manufacturing processes that spark commercialization. “This legislation is very important, something that will have a lot of impact,” said Stephen Empedocles, director of business development at NanoSys, Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., a startup company that is developing licensing and selling nanotechnology products and processes.

Though the technical benefits to be derived from nanotechnology are generating much of the recent excitement, this wave of the future may affect markets in other ways as well. “Once you get the technology down, the manufacturing materials are extremely cheap, so (there will be) a pricing benefit,” said Mark Modzelewski, executive director of the NanoBusiness Alliance in New York City.

NNIN Expected to Make Strides in Many Areas

Many expect the NNIN to make significant materials and processing improvements. Synthesis and simulation techniques are expected to be major components of NNIN’s research, and the network will develop new tools — some web-based — to facilitate testing and manufacturing.

All of the network’s universities have well-established nanotechnology labs, and researchers will share information and work collaboratively on a variety of programs. Additionally, researchers from other colleges may be able to visit and utilize such equipment as lithography machines and scanning tunneling microscopes. These tools are so expensive that only a few universities in the country will have them.

Educational materials will also likely improve dramatically. “The educational component is larger than earlier programs,” said a spokesman for Cornell University, the NNIN administrator. As only part of the education focus, the group will develop a web-based network so researchers and others can address education materials and discuss ethical and societal issues related to nanotechnology.

IEEE-USA Position Addresses Similar Goals

Many of these plans and activities match the goals of an IEEE-USA position statement issued late last year. In the position, IEEE-USA's R&D Policy Committee supports technology transfer programs that will help facilitate commercialization and supports government incentives for commercialization. To read IEEE-USA’s position, go to: www.ieeeusa.org/forum/POSITIONS/nanotechnology.html.

Nanotechnology is expected to play a major role in electronics, medicine and energy, among other areas, and international governments are acting aggressively to make sure their companies can compete. It holds huge promise, with the potential to alter society as dramatically as electronics and powered flight.

Terry Costlow has written about the electronics industry for more than 20 years, covering a wide range of technologies and topics.