President Bush signed a bill Wednesday that provides $3.7 billion for nanotechnology research to develop and build electronic circuits and devices from single atoms and molecules.
The legislation, known as the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, approves the money for more than four years and is designed to help develop breakthroughs in nanotechnology that will lead to new products, new businesses, new jobs and new industries. It puts funds into law programs for research and development to discover ways that nanotechnology can detect and treat diseases, monitor the environment, and produce and store energy.
The funds authorized by the bill will be appropriated through multiple federal agencies, most of which will offer competitive grant programs. Through the bill, they will be able to offer much more funding than the approximately $850 million currently provided by the federal government for nanotechnology.
“I hope the investments we are making in these areas will lead to wider public understanding of the possibilities and reduce the unwanted hype that has indeed emerged about nanotechnology,” Dr. John H. Marburger, Bush’s top science advisor, said during Wednesday’s online session of “Ask the White House.”
Nanotechnology is a field of study that works at the molecular and atomic levels. Its scales are about 1/100,000th the diameter of a human hair. It is expected to have a broad and fundamental impact on many sectors of the economy because it offers materials, devices and systems that exhibit physical, chemical and biological properties that are different from those on a larger scale.
However, some experts argue that negative effects could be associated with nanotechnology and warn that long-term dangers will hinder future funding of current research. Marburger said this fear is not unique to this specific field, but it is true for science technology in general.
“The risks from nanotechnology do not differ substantially from those of other technology hazards, such as toxicity of new chemicals or new biological materials, or environmental impacts,” Marburger said. “I believe many of these concerns can be addressed with existing regulatory mechanisms. The new nanotechnology act specifies that these risks be investigated, widely discussed and responsibly addressed.”
The University of Wisconsin Center for Nanotechnology does much of its own research in this area. One of their current projects includes developing a technique to cheaply and simply manufacture customized gene chips capable of deconstructing long segments of DNA.
“There’s more memory on the chips if they’re smaller,” Associate Director of CNTech James Taylor said. “All we’re doing right now is making nano devices.”
Taylor also said there are a lot of advantages to studying this field for future industries. For example, he said many medical technologies are moving in the nanotechnology direction.
“I’m really happy to hear that Bush signed this bill,” Taylor added. “Miniaturization has allowed you to do the same thing in a smaller space.”
UW’s CNTech is funded by the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation. Each year it can receive funds ranging from $2 to $4 million. In 2003 it was granted $4 million for research and installation of new equipment. CNTech does “open literature work,” meaning none of the research is secret. The center is about five to seven years ahead of mainstream nanotechnology research and development.
Although Taylor is uncertain whether CNTech will see any of these funds, he said other UW departments, such as materials science, might be eligible.
Academics, industry executives and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham attended the bill-signing ceremony in the Oval Office. The U.S. Senate passed the bill Nov. 18. The U.S. House of Representatives then approved the Senate-amended version Nov. 20.
