June 25, 2004 – Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) has proposed boosting investments in nanotechnology and other small tech-related fields in his plan for the nation’s high-tech industry.

The plan, released Thursday, said that additional investments in nanotech could lead to improvements in several areas, including cancer detection and treatment, lab-on-a-chip devices for biothreat detection and clean sources of energy that are competitive with fossil fuels.

It also said the United States should lead the world in convergence of nanotech, biotech and information technology, as well as expand research into environmental and health risks associated with nanomaterials.

The plan also includes increasing funding to agencies such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy, NASA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He also seeks to restore funding for NIST’s Advanced Technology Program, which has provided early funding to many micro and nanoscale firms.

The program, which critics call corporate welfare but supporters say is the nation’s venture capital fund for high-risk research, received no funding in President Bush’s fiscal year 2005 budget proposal.