**GAO-08-402**                      Published: Mar 31, 2008. Publicly Released: Apr 24, 2008.                  

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## Highlights

The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), administered by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), is a multiagency effort intended to coordinate the nanotechnology-related activities of 25 federal agencies that fund nanoscale research or have a stake in the results. Nanotechnology is the ability to control matter at the scale of a nanometer--one billionth of a meter. A key research area funded by some federal agencies relates to potential environmental, health, and safety (EHS) risks that may result from exposure to nanoscale materials. Because of concerns about federal efforts to fund and prioritize EHS research, GAO was asked to determine (1) the extent to which selected agencies conducted such research in fiscal year 2006; (2) the reasonableness of the agencies' and the NNI's processes to identify and prioritize such federal research; and (3) the effectiveness of the agencies' and the NNI's process to coordinate this research. GAO reviewed quantitative and qualitative data from five federal agencies that provided 96 percent of fiscal year 2006 funding for EHS research.

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## Topics

Science and Technology

Data integrityEnvironmental protectionEnvironmental researchFederal agenciesFederal fundsFunds managementHazardous substancesHealth hazardsHealth research programsInteragency relationsProduct safetyPublic healthReporting requirementsRequirements definitionResearch and developmentResearch and development costsRisk assessmentRisk factorsRisk managementSafety regulationSafety standards