National Nanotechnology Initiative – United States
Launched in 2000 with eight agencies, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) consists of the individual and cooperative nanotechnology-related activities of 26 Federal agencies with a range of research and regulatory roles and responsibilities. Fifteen of the participating agencies have research and development (R&D) budgets that relate to nanotechnology, with the reported NNI budget representing the collective sum of these investments. Funding support for nanotechnology R&D stems directly from NNI member agencies, not the NNI. As an interagency effort, the NNI informs and influences the Federal budget and planning processes through its member agencies and through the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). The NNI brings together the expertise needed to advance this broad and complex field—creating a framework for shared goals, priorities, and strategies that help each participating Federal agency leverage the resources of all participating agencies. With the support of the NNI, nanotechnology R&D is taking place in academic, government, and industry laboratories across the United States.
Links:
– National Nanotechnology Initiative
Organization Goals:
The NNI expedites the discovery, development and deployment of nanoscale science and technology to serve the public good, through a program of coordinated research and development aligned with the missions of the participating agencies. These agencies work to fulfill the NNI vision by working together to accomplish four primary goals:
1. To advance world-class nanotechnology research and development;
2. To foster the transfer of new technologies into products for commercial and public benefit;
3. To develop and sustain educational resources, a skilled workforce and the supporting infrastructure and tools to advance nanotechnology; and
4. To support the responsible development of nanotechnology.
NNI Centers and Networks of Excellence:
Government funds for nanotechnology research have created some of the most sophisticated nanoscience laboratories in the world. In addition to providing the facilities, the NNI also has created programs to attract researchers across an array of disciplines to facilitate discoveries. Centers and networks provide opportunities and support for multidisciplinary research among investigators from a variety of disciplines and from different research sectors, including academia, industry and government laboratories. Such multidisciplinary research not only leads to advances in knowledge but also fosters relationships that enhance the transition of basic research results to devices and other applications. The multidisciplinary centers are listed below, organized by funding agency:
Department of Defense
- Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Center for Nanoscience Innovation for Defense – University of California-Santa Barbara, Riverside and Los Angeles
- Institute for Nanoscience – Naval Research Laboratory
- DARPA Center on Nanoscale Science and Technology for Integrated Micro/Nano-Electromechanical Transducers (iMINT) – University of Colorado
National Institutes of Health
- Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory – National Cancer Institute, Frederick MD
NHLBI Programs of Excellence in Nanotechnology
- Integrated Nanosystems for Diagnosis and Therapy – Washington University
- Nanotechnology: Detection & Analysis of Plaque Formation – Emory University and Georgia Tech
- Nanotherapy for Vulnerable Plaque – Burnham Institute
- Translational Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology – Massachusetts General Hospital
Nanomedicine Development Centers
- Center for the Optical Control of Biological Functions – University of California, Berkeley
- Center for Cell Control – University of California, Los Angeles
- Phi2 DNA-Packing Motor for Nanomedicine – Purdue University
- Nanomedicine Center for Nucleoprotein Machines – Georgia Institute of Technology
- National Center for Design of Biomimetic Nanoconductors – University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- Center for Protein Folding Machinery – Baylor University
- Nanomedicine Center for Mechanobiology – Columbia University
- Engineering Cellular Control: Synthetic Signaling and Motility Systems – University of California, San Francisco
National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence
- Carolina Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence – University of North Carolina
- Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence and Translation – Stanford University
- Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence at Johns Hopkins – Johns Hopkins University
- Center for Translational Cancer Nanomedicine – Northeastern University
- Dartmouth Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence – Dartmouth University
- MIT-Harvard Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence – MIT and Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Nanomaterials for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics – Northwestern University
- Nanosystems Biology Cancer Center 2 – California Institute of Technology
- Texas Center for Cancer Nanomedicine – The University of Texas Health Science Center and The Methodist Hospital
NCI Cancer Nanotechnology Training Centers
- Boston University Cross-Disciplinary Training in Nanotechnology for Cancer – Boston University
- Integrative Cancer Nanoscience and Microsystems Training Center – University of New Mexico
- Midwest Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center (M-CNTC) – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- The Johns Hopkins Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center – Johns Hopkins University
- The University of Kentucky Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center – University of Kentucky
- UCSD Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center – University of California San Diego
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
- Nanotechnology Research Center – Robert A. Taft Lab
National Institute of Standards and Technology (Department of Commerce)
National Science Foundation with the Environmental Protection Agency
- Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT) – Duke University
- UC CEIN Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEIN) – University of California – Los Angeles
National Science Foundation
Engineering Research Center
- Center for Extreme Ultraviolet Science and Technology – University of Colorado—Boulder
Science and Technology Center
- Nanobiotechnology Center – Cornell University
Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers
- Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing – University of Massachusetts—Amherst
- Center for Nanoscale Systems (NSEC) – Cornell University
- Science of Nanoscale Systems and their Device Applications (NSEC) – Harvard University
- Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology – Rice University
- Center for Integrated Nanopatterning and Detection Technologies (NSEC) – Northwestern University
- Center for Electron Transport in Molecular Nanostructures (NSEC) – Columbia University
- Center for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures (NSEC) – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Center for Scalable and Integrated Nano-Manufacturing (NSEC) – University of California—Los Angeles
- Center for Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems (NSEC) – University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- Center on Templated Synthesis and Assembly at the Nanoscale – University of Wisconsin
- Center for Probing the Nanoscale – Stanford University
- Center for Affordable Nanoengineering of Polymeric Biomedical Devices – Ohio State University
- Center of Integrated Nanomechanical Systems – University of California—Berkeley
- Nano-Bio Interface Center – University of Pennsylvania
- Center for High Rate Nanomanufacturing – Northeastern University
- Center for Nanotechnology in Society – Arizona State University
- Center for Nanotechnology in Society – University of California—Santa Barbara
- Societal Interactions with Nanotechnology—NanoCenter – University of South Carolina
Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs)
These four MRSECs are fully dedicated to nanotechnology research:
- Center for Nanoscale Science (MRSEC) – Pennsylvania State University
- Center for Quantum and Spin Phenomena in Nanomagnetic Structures (MRSEC) – University of Nebraska, Lincoln
- Center for Research on Interface Structure and Phenomena (MRSEC) – Yale University
- Genetically Engineered Materials (MRSEC) – University of Washington
In addition, many other MRSECs have one or more interdisciplinary research group(s) focused on nanoscale science and engineering topics:
- Center for Advanced Materials Research (MRSEC) – Brown University
- Center for the Science & Engineering of Materials – California Institute of Technology
- Center for Nanostructured Materials (MRSEC) – Columbia University
- Center for Materials Research (MRSEC) – Cornell University
- Center for Materials Science and Engineering (MRSEC) – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Center for Sensor Materials (MRSEC) – Michigan State University
- Materials Research Science (MRSEC) – Northwestern University
- Center for Emergent Materials (MRSEC) – The Ohio State University
- Princeton Center for Complex Materials (MRSEC) – Princeton University
- Center on Polymer Interfaces and Macromolecular Assemblies (MRSEC) – Stanford University
- Center for Materials for Information Technology (MRSEC) – University of Alabama
- Center for Materials for Information Technology (MRSEC) – Materials Research Laboratory
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- Center for Materials for Information Technology (MRSEC) – Chicago Materials Research Center
- University of Chicago
- Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) – University of Maryland
- Materials Research Science and Engineering Center on Polymers (MRSEC) – University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) – University of Minnesota
- Center for Semiconductor Physics in Nanostructures (MRSEC) – University of Oklahoma
- The Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (MRSEC) – University of Pennsylvania
- Center for Nanoscopic Materials Design (MRSEC) – Institute for Nanoscale and Quantum Scientific and Technological Advanced Research (nanoSTAR), University of Virginia
NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Networks
- Network for Computational Nanotechnology
- National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
- Oklahoma Network for Nanostructured Materials
- Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network
- Network for Nanotechnology in Society – Arizona State University and University of California-Santa Barbara
- Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research – University of New Mexico
(Content source: NNI website and press releases.)