January 4, 2008 — A new strategic plan for the work of the National Nanotechnology Initiative has been released by the interagency Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on Technology with support from the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO).

The 2007 NNI Strategic Plan describes the vision, goals, and priorities of the NNI to ensure that the United States derives growing economic benefits and improved quality of life for its citizens and remains a global leader in nanotechnology R&D in the years to come, the NNI announced in a news release.

According to NNCO Director Clayton Teague, periodic reexamination of the NNI Strategic Plan is essential, given the dynamic nature of the field. The 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003 calls for the NNI Strategic Plan to be updated every third year; the plan just released updates and replaces the December 2004 plan.

“This strategic plan presents an overview of the NNI for the public and will facilitate achievement of the NNI vision by offering guidance for agency leaders, program managers, and the research community in their nanotechnology R&D investments and activities,” Teague said.

A number of inputs guided the Strategic Plan update, Teague noted. Among them were independent reviews of the NNI by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and the National Research Council of the National Academies, both of which have been strongly supportive of the NNI and have offered specific recommendations for improving NNI strategies and operations.

Additional input has come from topical workshops sponsored by the NNI, in which academic, government, and industry experts developed research recommendations for a variety of application areas, considered societal implications of nanotechnology, and addressed economic development strategies.