II 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1482 

To reauthorize the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development 

Act, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 21, 2009 

Mr. KERRY (for himself, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. ROCKEFELLER, Mr. PRYOR, and 

Mr. WYDEN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research 

and Development Act, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE: TABLE OF CONTENTS; AMEND4 MENT OF ACT. 

5 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Nanotechnol6 ogy Initiative Amendments Act of 2009’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Enhancements to National Nanotechnology Program. 

Sec. 3. Enhancements to National Nanotechnology Program coordination. 

Sec. 4. Enhancement of National Nanotechnology Advisory Panel. 

Sec. 5. Triennial external review of National Nanotechnology Program. 

Sec. 6. Societal dimensions of nanotechnology. 


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Sec. 7. Transfer of nanotechnology. 

Sec. 8. Research in areas of national importance. 

Sec. 9. Nanomanufacturing research. 

Sec. 10. Nanoscale characterization and metrology. 

Sec. 11. Deliberative public input in decisionmaking processes. 

Sec. 12. Amendments to definitions. 

1 (c) AMENDMENT OF 21ST CENTURY NANOTECHNOL2 OGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACT.—Except as 

3 otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an 

4 amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amend5 ment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the ref6 erence shall be considered to be made to a section or other 

7 provision of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research 

8 and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.). 

9 SEC. 2. ENHANCEMENTS TO NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY 

10 PROGRAM. 

11 (a) EXPANSION OF PROGRAM SCOPE.—Section 2(a) 

12 (15 U.S.C. 7501(a)) is amended— 

13 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon in 

14 paragraph (2); 

15 (2) by striking ‘‘Program.’’ in paragraph (3) 

16 and inserting ‘‘Program; and’’; and 

17 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(4) sponsor nanotechnology education and 

19 workforce development programs, including informa20 tion on nanotechnology, to prepare scientists, engi21 neers, and technicians to work in nanotechnology; 


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1 ‘‘(5) fully support the development of standard 

2 reference materials and instrumentation, metrology, 

3 and computational tools necessary to measure, char4 acterize, and predict the properties of nanoscale ma5 terials; 

6 ‘‘(6) participate in national and international 

7 organizations developing trade, commercialization, 

8 and regulatory guidelines, plans, and standards for 

9 the safe use of nanotechnology; 

10 ‘‘(7) establish and sustain the infrastructure, 

11 tools, and instruments to provide cost effective state12 of-the-art measurement, characterization, manipula13 tion, and simulations capabilities; 

14 ‘‘(8) utilize the perspectives of the industrial 

15 community to promote the rapid commercial devel16 opment of nanoscale-enabled devices, systems, and 

17 technologies; and 

18 ‘‘(9) coordinate research to determine key phys19 ical and chemical characteristics of nanoparticles 

20 and nanomaterials that may pose environmental, 

21 health, and safety risks.’’. 

22 (b) ADDITION OF PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 2(b) (15 U.S.C. 

24 7501(b)) is amended— 


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1 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (3) 

2 through (11) as paragraphs (4) through (12), 

3 respectively; and 

4 (B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(3) issuing guidance each year to the agencies 

7 participating in the Program that— 

8 ‘‘(A) prioritizes the Program’s research ini9 tiatives; 

10 ‘‘(B) documents the benefit of the research 

11 to the United States; 

12 ‘‘(C) describes a clear strategy for 

13 transitioning the research into commercial prod14 ucts and technologies; and 

15 ‘‘(D) describes how the Program will co16 ordinate or conduct research on the environ17 mental, health, and safety issues related to 

18 nanotechnology.’’. 

19 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

20 (A) Section 2(c) (15 U.S.C. 7501(c)) is 

21 amended— 

22 (i) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘stat23 ed in subsection (b)(7)’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘stated in subsection (b)(9)’’; and 


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1 (ii) in paragraph (10), by striking 

2 ‘‘pursuant to subsection (b)(10)(D)’’ and 

3 inserting ‘‘pursuant to subsection 

4 (b)(12)(D)’’. 

5 (B) Section 2(d) (15 U.S.C. 7501(d)) is 

6 amended in paragraphs (1) and (2), by striking 

7 ‘‘pursuant to subsection (b)(10)’’ each place it 

8 occurs and inserting ‘‘pursuant to subsection 

9 (b)(12)’’. 

10 (C) Section 7(a)(1) (15 U.S.C. 7506(a)(1)) 

11 is amended by striking ‘‘under section 2(b)(7)’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘under section 2(b)(9)’’. 

13 (c) ENHANCEMENT OF PROGRAM MANAGEMENT.— 

14 (1) TRIENNIAL STRATEGIC PLAN.—Section 2(c) 

15 (15 U.S.C. 7501(c)) is amended by striking para16 graph (4) and inserting the following: 

17 ‘‘(4) develop, not later than 1 year after the 

18 date of enactment of the National Nanotechnology 

19 Initiative Amendments Act of 2009, and update 

20 every 3 years thereafter, a strategic plan to guide 

21 the Program activities described under subsection 

22 (b) that— 

23 ‘‘(A) specifies— 

24 ‘‘(i) near-term and long-term objec25 tives for the Program; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the anticipated time frame for 

2 achieving the near-term objectives; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) the metrics to be used for as4 sessing progress toward the objectives; and 

5 ‘‘(B) describes— 

6 ‘‘(i) how the Program will move re7 sults out of the laboratory and into appli8 cations for the benefit of society, including 

9 through cooperation and collaboration with 

10 nanotechnology research, development, and 

11 technology transition initiatives supported 

12 by the States; 

13 ‘‘(ii) how the Program will encourage 

14 and support interdisciplinary research and 

15 development in nanotechnology; and 

16 ‘‘(iii) proposed research in areas of 

17 national importance in accordance with the 

18 requirements of section 12;’’. 

19 (2) JOINT INTERAGENCY SOLICITATIONS.—Sec20 tion 2(c) (15 U.S.C. 7501(c)) is further amended— 

21 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon 

22 in paragraph (9); 

23 (B) by redesignating paragraph (10) as 

24 paragraph (11); 


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1 (C) by inserting after paragraph (9) the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(10) encourage joint interagency solicitation of 

4 grant applications in high-priority multi-disciplinary 

5 research areas, including— 

6 ‘‘(A) instrumentation and metrology equip7 ment to detect, measure, and characterize nano8 materials; 

9 ‘‘(B) chemical, biological, and nuclear sen10 sor technology for defense and homeland secu11 rity applications; 

12 ‘‘(C) sustainable energy, environment, 

13 water and agriculture; 

14 ‘‘(D) long-term health and safety aspects, 

15 with a particular focus on the workforce; 

16 ‘‘(E) simulation and modeling; and 

17 ‘‘(F) manufacturing of complex systems at 

18 the nanoscale.’’; and 

19 (D) by striking ‘‘through (9)’’ and insert20 ing ‘‘through (10)’’ in paragraph (11), as redes21 ignated by subparagraph (B). 

22 (d) EXPANSION OF ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NA23 TIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL.—Section 

24 2(d) (15 U.S.C. 7501(d)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘and the pre2 vious fiscal year’’ after ‘‘current fiscal year’’; 

3 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’; 

4 (3) in paragraph (5), by striking the period at 

5 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

6 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(6) the research plan required by section 

8 10(b)(1) and updated under section 10(b)(5); and 

9 ‘‘(7) a description of research and development 

10 areas supported in accordance with section 12, in11 cluding— 

12 ‘‘(A) the budget for such areas for the cur13 rent and previous fiscal year; and 

14 ‘‘(B) the budget for such areas for the 

15 next fiscal year.’’. 

16 (e) SUPPORT OF STANDARDS SETTING ACTIVI17 TIES.—Section 2 (15 U.S.C. 7501) is amended by adding 

18 at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(e) STANDARDS SETTING.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The agencies participating 

21 in the Program shall fully support the activities of 

22 the committees of standards setting bodies involved 

23 in the development of standards for nanotechnology. 

24 ‘‘(2) REIMBURSEMENT OF TRAVEL COSTS.— 

25 The agencies participating in the Program may reVerDate Nov 24 2008 21:12 Jul 22, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1482.IS S1482

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1 imburse the travel costs of participants described in 

2 paragraph (1).’’. 

3 SEC. 3. ENHANCEMENTS TO NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY 

4 PROGRAM COORDINATION. 

5 (a) MODIFICATIONS TO FUNDING OF NATIONAL

6 NANOTECHNOLOGY COORDINATION OFFICE.—Section 

7 3(b) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 7502(b)) is amended to read 

8 as follows: 

9 ‘‘(b) FUNDING.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The operation of the Na11 tional Nanotechnology Coordination Office shall be 

12 supported by funds from each agency participating 

13 in the Program. The portion of the total budget of 

14 the Office provided by each agency for each fiscal 

15 year shall be in the same proportion as the agency’s 

16 share of the total budget for the Program for the 

17 previous fiscal year, as specified in the report re18 quired under section 2(c)(1). 

19 ‘‘(2) STANDARDS RESEARCH.—Of the amounts 

20 provided to the Office under paragraph (1), 

21 $500,000 shall be made available to the National In22 stitute of Standards and Technology to be used by 

23 the Institute, in coordination with the American Na24 tional Standards Institute, for the development of 

25 nanotechnology standards. 


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1 ‘‘(3) NNCO DATABASE.—There are authorized 

2 to be appropriated to the National Science Founda3 tion for use by the National Nanotechnology Coordi4 nation Office in developing and maintaining the 

5 database required by subsection (d)— 

6 ‘‘(A) $1,750,000 for fiscal year 2010; 

7 ‘‘(B) $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and 

8 ‘‘(C) $750,000 for fiscal year 2012.’’. 

9 (b) ANNUAL REPORT ON FUNDING OF THE NA10 TIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY COORDINATION OFFICE.— 

11 Section 3 (15 U.S.C. 7502) is amended by striking sub12 section (c) and inserting the following: 

13 ‘‘(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Council shall submit to 

14 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

15 of the Senate and the Committee on Science and Tech16 nology of the House of Representatives each year, together 

17 with documents submitted to Congress in support of the 

18 budget of the President for the fiscal year beginning in 

19 such year (as submitted pursuant to section 1105 of title 

20 31, United States Code), a report containing the following: 

21 ‘‘(1) A description of the funding required by 

22 the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office to 

23 perform the functions specified in subsection (a) for 

24 the next fiscal year set forth by category of activity, 


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1 including the funding required to carry out the re2 quirements of— 

3 ‘‘(A) section 2(b)(12)(D); 

4 ‘‘(B) subsection (d) of this section; and 

5 ‘‘(C) section 5. 

6 ‘‘(2) A description of the funding required by 

7 such Office to perform the functions specified in 

8 subsection (a) for the current fiscal year set forth by 

9 category of activity, including the funding required 

10 to carry out the requirements of subsection (d). 

11 ‘‘(3) The amount of funding provided for such 

12 Office for the current fiscal year set forth by each 

13 agency participating in the Program.’’. 

14 (c) PUBLIC INFORMATION.—Section 3 (15 U.S.C. 

15 7502) is further amended by adding at the end the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(d) PUBLIC INFORMATION.— 

18 ‘‘(1) DATABASE.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the 

20 National Nanotechnology Coordination Office 

21 shall develop and maintain a searchable key22 word database of all projects funded by the 

23 Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Tech24 nology Subcommittee of the National Science 

25 and Technology Council. 


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1 ‘‘(B) DATABASE CONTENTS.—The data2 base required by subparagraph (A) shall include 

3 the following, with respect to each project in the 

4 database: 

5 ‘‘(i) A description of the project. 

6 ‘‘(ii) The source of funding of the 

7 project, set forth by agency. 

8 ‘‘(iii) The funding history of the 

9 project. 

10 ‘‘(C) GROUPING OF PROJECTS IN THE EN11 VIRONMENTAL, HEALTH, AND SAFETY PROGRAM

12 COMPONENT AREA.—For projects in the Envi13 ronmental, Health, and Safety program compo14 nent area, or any successor program component 

15 area, projects shall be grouped in the database 

16 by major objective as specified in the research 

17 plan required by section 10(b)(1). 

18 ‘‘(D) GROUPING OF PROJECTS IN THE

19 EDUCATION AND SOCIETAL DIMENSIONS PRO20 GRAM COMPONENT AREA.—For projects in the 

21 Education and Societal Dimensions program 

22 component area, or any successor program com23 ponent area, the projects shall be grouped in 

24 the database in the following categories: 

25 ‘‘(i) Education in formal settings. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) Education in informal settings. 

2 ‘‘(iii) Public outreach. 

3 ‘‘(iv) Ethical, legal, and other societal 

4 issues. 

5 ‘‘(E) ACCESSIBILITY.—The Director shall 

6 make the database required by subparagraph 

7 (A) accessible to the public. 

8 ‘‘(2) INFORMATION ON NANOTECHNOLOGY FA9 CILITIES.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the 

11 National Nanotechnology Coordination Office— 

12 ‘‘(i) shall develop, maintain, and pub13 licize information on nanotechnology facili14 ties supported under the Program that are 

15 accessible for use by individuals from aca16 demic institutions and industry; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) may include information on 

18 nanotechnology facilities that are— 

19 ‘‘(I) supported by the States; and 

20 ‘‘(II) accessible for use by indi21 viduals from academic institutions 

22 and from industry. 

23 ‘‘(B) INFORMATION TO BE PUBLICIZED.— 

24 The information developed, maintained, and 


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1 publicized under subparagraph (A) shall include 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(i) The terms and conditions for the 

4 use of each nanotechnology facility sup5 ported under the Program. 

6 ‘‘(ii) A description of the capabilities 

7 of the instruments and equipment available 

8 for use at the facility. 

9 ‘‘(iii) A description of the technical 

10 support available to assist users of the fa11 cility.’’. 

12 SEC. 4. ENHANCEMENT OF NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY 

13 ADVISORY PANEL. 

14 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF SUBPANEL ON SOCIETAL, 

15 ETHICAL, LEGAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND WORKFORCE

16 CONCERNS.—Section 4(a) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 7503(a)) 

17 is amended— 

18 (1) by striking ‘‘or designate’’; 

19 (2) by inserting ‘‘as a distinct entity’’ after 

20 ‘‘Advisory Panel’’; 

21 (3) by inserting ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF ADVI22 SORY PANEL.—’’ before ‘‘The President shall’’ and 

23 indenting paragraph (1) as so designated 2 ems 

24 from the left margin; and 

25 (4) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT OF SUBPANEL ON SOCI2 ETAL, ETHICAL, LEGAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND

3 WORKFORCE CONCERNS.—The Advisory Panel shall 

4 establish a subpanel with membership having spe5 cific qualifications tailored to enable it to carry out 

6 the requirements of subsection (c)(7).’’. 

7 (b) REPRESENTATION OF MINORITY-SERVING INSTI8 TUTIONS.—Section 4(b) (15 U.S.C. 7503(b)) is amend9 ed— 

10 (1) by designating the first, second, and third 

11 sentences as paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), respec12 tively, and indenting such paragraphs, as so des13 ignated, 2 ems to the right; 

14 (2) in paragraph (1), as so designated by para15 graph (1) of this subsection— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘or designated’’; and 

17 (B) by inserting ‘‘MEMBERSHIP FROM ACA18 DEMIC INSTITUTIONS AND INDUSTRY.—’’ before 

19 ‘‘The Advisory Panel’’; 

20 (3) in paragraph (2), as so designated by para21 graph (1) of this subsection, by inserting ‘‘QUALI22 FIED TO PROVIDE ADVICE.—’’ before ‘‘Members of’’; 

23 (4) in paragraph (3), as so designated by para24 graph (1) of this subsection— 

25 (A) by striking ‘‘or designating’’; and 


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1 (B) by inserting ‘‘SEEKING RECOMMENDA2 TIONS.—’’ before ‘‘In selecting’’; and 

3 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(4) REPRESENTATION OF MINORITY-SERVING

5 INSTITUTIONS.—At least one member of the Advi6 sory Panel shall be an individual employed by and 

7 representing a minority-serving institution.’’. 

8 SEC. 5. TRIENNIAL EXTERNAL REVIEW OF NATIONAL 

9 NANOTECHNOLOGY PROGRAM. 

10 Section 5 of the Act (15 U.S.C. 7504) is amended 

11 to read as follows: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 5. EXTERNAL REVIEW OF THE NATIONAL NANOTECH13 NOLOGY PROGRAM. 

14 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 

15 Nanotechnology Coordination Office shall, in consultation 

16 with the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology 

17 Subcommittee, the National Research Council of the Na18 tional Academy of Sciences, and relevant Congressional 

19 staff, identify 3 highly targeted and timely topic areas that 

20 would benefit from review and evaluation. The Director 

21 will enter into an arrangement with the National Research 

22 Council to conduct these reviews. 

23 ‘‘(b) MATTERS EVALUATED.—The reviews shall in24 clude an evaluation of topics relevant to the following: 


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1 ‘‘(1) The research priorities and technical con2 tent of the Program, including whether the alloca3 tion of funding among program component areas, as 

4 designated according to section 2(c)(2), is appro5 priate. 

6 ‘‘(2) The effectiveness of the Program’s man7 agement and coordination across agencies and dis8 ciplines, including an assessment of the effectiveness 

9 of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office. 

10 ‘‘(3) The scientific and technological accom11 plishments of the Program and the success of the 

12 Program in transferring technology to the private 

13 sector. 

14 ‘‘(4) The adequacy of the activities of the Pro15 gram in addressing ethical, legal, environmental, 

16 workplace, and other appropriate societal issues, in17 cluding human health issues. 

18 ‘‘(5) The adequacy and effectiveness of the Pro19 gram’s public education and outreach efforts. 

20 ‘‘(6) The worldwide investment in and activities 

21 related to nanotechnology and an analysis of the rel22 ative position of the United States compared to 

23 other countries with respect to nanotechnology re24 search and development. 


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1 ‘‘(7) The adequacy of the Program in incor2 porating the results of deliberative public input into 

3 the decisionmaking process. 

4 ‘‘(c) EXTERNAL REVIEW REPORTS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than September 

6 30, 2011, and every 3 years thereafter, the Director 

7 of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office 

8 shall submit to the Advisory Panel, the Committee 

9 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

10 Senate, and the Committee on Science and Tech11 nology of the House of Representatives a report pre12 pared by the National Research Council on the most 

13 recent external reviews carried out under subsection 

14 (a). 

15 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each report required by 

16 paragraph (1) shall include the following: 

17 ‘‘(A) The findings of the National Re18 search Council with respect to the matters de19 scribed in subsection (b). 

20 ‘‘(B) The recommendations of the Director 

21 of the National Nanotechnology Coordination 

22 Office, if any— 

23 ‘‘(i) on ways to improve the manage24 ment and coordination processes of the 

25 Program; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) for changes to the objectives, 

2 funding priorities, and technical content of 

3 the Program. 

4 ‘‘(d) FUNDING.—There are authorized to be appro5 priated to the National Science Foundation for use by the 

6 National Nanotechnology Coordinating Office to carry out 

7 this section $500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010, 2011, 

8 and 2012.’’. 

9 SEC. 6. SOCIETAL DIMENSIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Act (15 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.) 

11 is amended— 

12 (1) by redesignating section 10 as section 15; 

13 (2) by inserting after section 9 the following: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 10. SOCIETAL DIMENSIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY. 

15 ‘‘(a) COORDINATOR FOR SOCIETAL DIMENSIONS OF

16 NANOTECHNOLOGY.— 

17 ‘‘(1) DESIGNATION.—The Director of the Office 

18 of Science and Technology Policy shall designate an 

19 associate director of the Office of Science and Tech20 nology Policy as the Coordinator for Societal Dimen21 sions of Nanotechnology. 

22 ‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The duties of the Coordinator 

23 for Societal Dimensions of Nanotechnology are as 

24 follows: 


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1 ‘‘(A) Providing oversight of the coordina2 tion, planning, and budget prioritization of ac3 tivities required by section 2(b)(12). 

4 ‘‘(B) With the assistance of appropriate 

5 senior officials of the agencies funding activities 

6 within the Environmental, Health, and Safety 

7 program component area and the Education 

8 and Societal Dimensions program component 

9 area, or any successor program component 

10 areas, ensuring that the requirements of section 

11 2(b)(12) are satisfied. 

12 ‘‘(C) Ensuring that the research plan re13 quired under subsection (b)(1) is— 

14 ‘‘(i) developed, updated, and imple15 mented as required thereunder; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) responsive to the recommenda17 tions of the subpanel established under 

18 section 4(a)(2). 

19 ‘‘(D) Encouraging and monitoring the ef20 forts of the agencies participating in the Pro21 gram to allocate the level of resources and man22 agement attention necessary to ensure that the 

23 ethical, legal, environmental, and other appro24 priate societal concerns related to nanotechnol25 ogy, including human health and workplace 


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1 safety concerns, are addressed under the Pro2 gram, including the implementation of the re3 search plan required under subsection (b)(1). 

4 ‘‘(E) Encouraging the agencies required to 

5 develop the research plan under subsection (b) 

6 to identify, assess, and implement suitable 

7 mechanisms for the establishment of public-pri8 vate partnerships for support of environmental, 

9 health, and safety research. 

10 ‘‘(b) RESEARCH PLAN.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 

12 ‘‘(A) PANEL CONVENED AND PLAN RE13 QUIRED.—Not later than 60 days after the date 

14 of enactment of the National Nanotechnology 

15 Initiative Amendments Act of 2009, the Coordi16 nator for Societal Dimensions of Nanotechnol17 ogy designated under subsection (a)(1) shall 

18 convene and chair a panel to develop, periodi19 cally update, and coordinate the implementation 

20 of a research plan for the Environmental, 

21 Health, and Safety program component area, or 

22 any successor program component area. 

23 ‘‘(B) MEMBERSHIP.—The panel convened 

24 under subparagraph (A) shall be comprised of 

25 representatives from— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the agencies funding research ac2 tivities under the program component area 

3 described in such subparagraph; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) such other agencies as the Coor5 dinator considers necessary. 

6 ‘‘(C) SOLICITATION OF ADVICE.—In devel7 oping and updating the plan required by sub8 paragraph (A), the panel convened under such 

9 subparagraph shall solicit and be responsive to 

10 recommendations and advice from— 

11 ‘‘(i) the subpanel established under 

12 section 4(a)(2); and 

13 ‘‘(ii) the agencies responsible for envi14 ronmental, health, and safety regulations 

15 associated with the production, use, and 

16 disposal of nanoscale materials and prod17 ucts. 

18 ‘‘(2) DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDS.—The plan 

19 required by paragraph (1) shall include a description 

20 of how the Program will help to ensure the develop21 ment of the following: 

22 ‘‘(A) Standards related to nomenclature 

23 associated with engineered nanoscale materials. 


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1 ‘‘(B) Engineered nanoscale standard ref2 erence materials for environmental, health, and 

3 safety testing. 

4 ‘‘(C) Instruments required to fill major 

5 gaps in metrology capabilities. 

6 ‘‘(D) Standards related to methods and 

7 procedures for detecting, measuring, moni8 toring, sampling, and testing engineered 

9 nanoscale materials for environmental, health, 

10 and safety impacts. 

11 ‘‘(3) COMPONENTS OF PLAN.—The plan re12 quired under paragraph (1) shall— 

13 ‘‘(A) specify near-term research objectives 

14 and long-term research objectives; 

15 ‘‘(B) specify milestones associated with 

16 each near-term objective and the estimated time 

17 and resources required to reach each milestone; 

18 ‘‘(C) with respect to subparagraphs (A) 

19 and (B), describe the role of each agency car20 rying out or sponsoring research in order to 

21 meet the objectives specified under subpara22 graph (A) and to achieve the milestones speci23 fied under subparagraph (B); 

24 ‘‘(D) specify the funding allocated to each 

25 major objective of the plan and the source of 


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1 funding by agency for the current fiscal year; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(E) estimate the funding required for 

4 each major objective of the plan and the source 

5 of funding by agency for the following 3 fiscal 

6 years. 

7 ‘‘(4) INCORPORATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS

8 OF ADVISORY PANEL.—The Coordinator designated 

9 under subsection (a)(1) and the panel convened 

10 under paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection shall in11 corporate any recommendations of the Advisory 

12 panel under subsection (g)(2) into the planning ac13 tivity required under this subsection and provide the 

14 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor15 tation of the Senate and the Committee on Science 

16 and Technology of the House of Representatives jus17 tification should the funding in the research plan not 

18 meet such recommendations. 

19 ‘‘(5) SUBMITTAL OF INITIAL PLAN TO CON20 GRESS.—Not later than 180 days after the date of 

21 enactment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative 

22 Amendments Act of 2009, the Coordinator des23 ignated under subsection (a)(1) shall submit to the 

24 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor25 tation of the Senate and the Committee on Science 


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1 and Technology of the House of Representatives the 

2 initial plan required by paragraph (1). 

3 ‘‘(6) ANNUAL UPDATE OF PLAN.—Each year, 

4 the panel convened under paragraph (1) shall update 

5 the plan required under such paragraph and submit 

6 the plan to the Council for inclusion in the annual 

7 report of the Council required by section 2(d). 

8 ‘‘(c) REPORT REQUIREMENTS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Coordinator des10 ignated under subsection (a)(1) shall enter into an 

11 arrangement with the National Science Board of the 

12 National Academy of Sciences to create a report 

13 that identifies the broad goals and needs for envi14 ronmental, health, and safety researchers. 

15 ‘‘(2) MATTERS EVALUATED.—The report shall 

16 identify— 

17 ‘‘(A) broad strategic goals of overall re18 search; 

19 ‘‘(B) critical needs of researchers; and 

20 ‘‘(C) gaps in current research. 

21 ‘‘(3) SUPPORT NOT SUPPLANT.—The report 

22 shall compliment and support the research plan re23 quired by subsection (b) but not supplant it. 


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1 ‘‘(4) SOLICITATION OF ADVICE.—In developing 

2 the report, the National Academy of Sciences shall 

3 solicit and be responsive to advice from— 

4 ‘‘(A) the Advisory Panel under subsection 

5 (h)(2); 

6 ‘‘(B) industry representatives; and 

7 ‘‘(C) academia. 

8 ‘‘(d) UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAMS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—As part of the 

10 activities included under the Education and Societal 

11 Dimensions program component area, or any suc12 cessor program component area, the Program shall 

13 support efforts to introduce nanoscale science, engi14 neering, and technology into undergraduate science 

15 and engineering education through a variety of 

16 interdisciplinary approaches. Activities supported 

17 may include the following: 

18 ‘‘(A) The development of courses of in19 struction or modules to existing courses. 

20 ‘‘(B) Faculty professional development. 

21 ‘‘(C) The acquisition of equipment and in22 strumentation suitable for undergraduate edu23 cation and research in nanotechnology. 

24 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

25 There are authorized to be appropriated to the DiVerDate Nov 24 2008 21:12 Jul 22, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1482.IS S1482

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1 rector of the National Science Foundation to carry 

2 out activities described in paragraph (1), amounts as 

3 follows: 

4 ‘‘(A) COURSE, CURRICULUM, AND LABORA5 TORY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.—Through the 

6 Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improve7 ment program of the National Science Founda8 tion— 

9 ‘‘(i) from amounts authorized under 

10 section 7002(b)(2)(B) of the America 

11 COMPETES Act (Public Law 110–69), 

12 $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) from amounts authorized under 

14 section 7002(c)(2)(B) of such Act, 

15 $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 

16 ‘‘(B) ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY EDU17 CATION.—Through the Advanced Technology 

18 Education program of the National Science 

19 Foundation— 

20 ‘‘(i) from amounts authorized under 

21 section 7002(b)(2)(B) of the America 

22 COMPETES Act (Public Law 110–69), 

23 $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) from amounts authorized under 

2 section 7002(c)(2)(B) of such Act, 

3 $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 

4 ‘‘(e) INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.—The Council 

5 shall establish an Education Working Group under the 

6 Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology Sub7 committee of the Council to coordinate, prioritize, and 

8 plan both formal and informal educational activities sup9 ported under the Program, including activities to help par10 ticipants understand environmental, health, and safety im11 plications of nanotechnology. 

12 ‘‘(f) SOCIETAL DIMENSIONS IN NANOTECHNOLOGY

13 EDUCATION ACTIVITIES.—Activities supported under the 

14 Education and Societal Dimensions program component 

15 area, or any successor program component area, that in16 volve informal, precollege, or undergraduate nanotechnol17 ogy education shall include education regarding the envi18 ronmental, health and safety, and other societal aspects 

19 of nanotechnology. 

20 ‘‘(g) REMOTE ACCESS TO NANOTECHNOLOGY FA21 CILITIES.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Agencies supporting nano23 technology research facilities as part of the Program 

24 shall require the entities that operate such facilities 

25 to allow access via the Internet by secondary school 


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1 students and teachers to instruments and equipment 

2 within such facilities for educational purposes and to 

3 informal science educators for science enrichment 

4 opportunities and public education purposes. 

5 ‘‘(2) SUPPORT.—The agencies described in 

6 paragraph (1) shall support the costs associated 

7 with the provision of such access to facilities de8 scribed in such paragraph. 

9 ‘‘(3) WAIVER.—The agencies described in para10 graph (1) may waive the requirement of paragraph 

11 (1) in cases when— 

12 ‘‘(A) use of particular facilities would be 

13 inappropriate for educational purposes; or 

14 ‘‘(B) the costs for providing the access to 

15 facilities as described in paragraph (1) would be 

16 prohibitive. 

17 ‘‘(4) ESTABLISHMENT AND PUBLICATION OF

18 PROCEDURES, GUIDELINES, AND CONDITIONS FOR

19 USE OF FACILITIES.—The agencies identified in 

20 paragraph (1) shall require the entities that operate 

21 nanotechnology research facilities that are supported 

22 by such agencies as part of the Program to establish 

23 and publish procedures, guidelines, and conditions 

24 for the submission and approval of applications for 


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1 the use of such facilities for the purpose identified 

2 in paragraph (1). 

3 ‘‘(5) TECHNICAL SUPPORT.—The agencies iden4 tified in paragraph (1) shall authorize personnel who 

5 operate the facilities described in such paragraph to 

6 provide necessary technical support to students and 

7 teachers who use such facilities. 

8 ‘‘(h) ADVISORY PANEL REVIEW OF ENVIRON9 MENTAL, HEALTH, AND SAFETY PROGRAM COMPONENT

10 AREA.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Panel shall 

12 periodically review the funding level of the Environ13 mental, Health, and Safety program component 

14 area, or any successor program component area, rel15 ative to the overall budget of the Program to deter16 mine whether the amount dedicated to this area is 

17 sufficient to address the research funding needs as 

18 estimated in the research plan required by sub19 section (b). 

20 ‘‘(2) RECOMMENDATIONS.—If the Advisory 

21 Panel determines under paragraph (1) that the 

22 amount described in such paragraph is insufficient 

23 or excessive, the Advisory Panel shall submit to the 

24 Coordinator for Societal Dimensions of Nanotechnol25 ogy a recommendation for an appropriate level of 


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1 funding for the Environmental, Health, and Safety 

2 program component area, or any successor program 

3 component area.’’; and 

4 (3) in section 4(d), by adding at the end the 

5 following: ‘‘Such report shall include the findings of 

6 the Advisory Panel with respect to the most recent 

7 review required by section 10(h)(1) and any rec8 ommendations of the Advisory Panel under section 

9 10(h)(2).’’. 

10 (b) NANOTECHNOLOGY EDUCATION PARTNER11 SHIPS.—Section 9 of the National Science Foundation Au12 thorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n) is amended 

13 by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(e) NANOTECHNOLOGY EDUCATION PARTNER15 SHIPS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—As part of the pro18 gram authorized by subsection (a), the Director 

19 shall provide 1 or more grants under such sub20 section to establish partnerships described in 

21 paragraph (2) of such subsection, except that 

22 each such partnership shall include 1 or more 

23 businesses engaged in the production of 

24 nanoscale materials, products, or devices. 


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1 ‘‘(B) DESIGNATION.—A partnership estab2 lished in accordance with subparagraph (A) 

3 shall be designated as a ‘Nanotechnology Edu4 cation Partnership’. 

5 ‘‘(2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of a Nanotech6 nology Education Partnership is to recruit and help 

7 prepare secondary school students to pursue postsec8 ondary level courses of instruction in nanotechnology 

9 and assist secondary institution and informal learn10 ing centers with outreach programs directed at sec11 ondary students. 

12 ‘‘(3) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—Notwithstanding 

13 subsection (a)(3), each entity receiving a grant 

14 under this subsection shall use the grant for the 

15 purposes described in paragraph (2), including uses 

16 in support of the following: 

17 ‘‘(A) Professional development activities in 

18 formal and informal settings to enable sec19 ondary school teachers to use curricular mate20 rials incorporating nanotechnology and to in21 form teachers about career possibilities for stu22 dents in nanotechnology. 

23 ‘‘(B) Enrichment programs for students, 

24 including access to nanotechnology facilities and 

25 equipment at partner institutions in formal and 


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•S 1482 IS 

1 informal settings, to increase their under2 standing of nanoscale science and technology 

3 and to inform them about career possibilities in 

4 nanotechnology as scientists, engineers, and 

5 technicians. 

6 ‘‘(C) Identification of appropriate formal 

7 and informal nanotechnology educational mate8 rials and incorporation of nanotechnology into 

9 the curriculum for secondary school students at 

10 one or more organizations participating in a 

11 Nanotechnology Education Partnership. 

12 ‘‘(4) SELECTION OF GRANT RECIPIENTS.— 

13 Grants under this subsection shall be awarded in ac14 cordance with subsection (b), except that paragraph 

15 (3)(B) of such subsection shall not apply to grants 

16 awarded under this subsection. 

17 ‘‘(5) NANOTECHNOLOGY DEFINED.—In this 

18 subsection, the term ‘nanotechnology’ has the mean19 ing given the term in section 15 of the Act.’’. 

20 SEC. 7. TRANSFER OF NANOTECHNOLOGY. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Act (15 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.) 

22 is amended by inserting after section 10, as added by sec23 tion 6(a)(2) of this Act, the following: 

24 ‘‘SEC. 11. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER. 

25 ‘‘(a) PROTOTYPING.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) ACCESS TO FACILITIES.—In accordance 

2 with section 2(b)(9), the agencies supporting nano3 technology research facilities as part of the Program 

4 shall provide access to such facilities to representa5 tives from industry and other stakeholders for the 

6 purpose of transferring research results or assisting 

7 in the development of prototypes of nanoscale prod8 ucts, devices, or processes (or products, devices, or 

9 processes enabled by nanotechnology) for deter10 mining proof of concept. 

11 ‘‘(2) PUBLICATION OF AVAILABILITY.—The 

12 agencies described in paragraph (1) shall publicize 

13 the availability of the facilities described in such 

14 paragraph and encourage their use by companies as 

15 provided for in this section. 

16 ‘‘(3) PROCEDURES.—The agencies described in 

17 paragraph (1)— 

18 ‘‘(A) shall establish and publish proce19 dures, guidelines, and conditions for the sub20 mission and approval of applications for use of 

21 nanotechnology facilities; 

22 ‘‘(B) shall publish descriptions of the capa23 bilities of facilities available for use under this 

24 subsection, including the availability of tech25 nical support; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) may waive recovery, require full re2 covery, or require partial recovery of the costs 

3 associated with use of the facilities for projects 

4 under this subsection. 

5 ‘‘(4) SELECTION AND CRITERIA.—In cases 

6 when less than full cost recovery is required pursu7 ant to paragraph (3)(C), projects provided access to 

8 nanotechnology facilities in accordance with this sub9 section shall be selected through a competitive, 

10 merit-based process, and the criteria for the selec11 tion of such projects shall include the following: 

12 ‘‘(A) The readiness of the project for tech13 nology demonstration. 

14 ‘‘(B) Evidence of a commitment by the ap15 plicant for further development of the project to 

16 full commercialization if the proof of concept is 

17 established by the prototype. 

18 ‘‘(C) Evidence of the potential for further 

19 funding from private sector sources following 

20 the successful demonstration of proof of con21 cept. 

22 ‘‘(5) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION FOR PROJECTS

23 RELEVANT TO IMPORTANT NATIONAL NEEDS.—In 

24 selecting projects under paragraph (4), the agencies 

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1 eration to applications that are relevant to important 

2 national needs or requirements. 

3 ‘‘(b) USE OF EXISTING TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

4 PROGRAMS.—Each agency participating in the Program 

5 shall— 

6 ‘‘(1) if the agency administers a Small Business 

7 Innovation Research Program or a Small Business 

8 Technology Transfer Program, encourage the sub9 mission of applications for support of nanotechnol10 ogy related projects to such programs; and 

11 ‘‘(2) through the National Nanotechnology Co12 ordination Office established under section 3(a) and 

13 not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

14 of the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amend15 ments Act of 2009, submit to the Committee on 

16 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen17 ate and the Committee on Science and Technology 

18 of the House of Representatives— 

19 ‘‘(A) the plan described in section 2(c)(7); 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(B) a report specifying, if the agency ad22 ministers a Small Business Innovation Research 

23 Program and a Small Business Technology 

24 Transfer Program— 


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•S 1482 IS 

1 ‘‘(i) the number of proposals received 

2 for nanotechnology related projects during 

3 the current fiscal year and the previous 2 

4 fiscal years; 

5 ‘‘(ii) the number of such proposals 

6 funded in each year; 

7 ‘‘(iii) the total number of nanotechnol8 ogy related projects funded and the 

9 amount of funding provided for fiscal year 

10 2003 through fiscal year 2007; and 

11 ‘‘(iv) a description of the projects 

12 identified in accordance with clause (iii) 

13 which received private sector funding be14 yond the period of phase II support of the 

15 Small Business Innovation Research Pro16 gram and the Small Business Technology 

17 Transfer Program. 

18 ‘‘(c) INDUSTRY LIAISON GROUPS.—An objective of 

19 the Program shall be to establish industry liaison groups 

20 for all industry sectors that would benefit from applica21 tions of nanotechnology. The Nanomanufacturing, Indus22 try Liaison, and Innovation Working Group of the Na23 tional Science and Technology Council shall actively pur24 sue establishing such liaison groups.’’. 


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•S 1482 IS 

1 (b) TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION PROGRAM SUPPORT

2 FOR NANOTECHNOLOGY.—Section 28 of the National In3 stitute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278n) 

4 is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (d)— 

6 (A) by striking ‘‘The Director’’ and insert7 ing the following: 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director’’; and 

9 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(2) SOLICITATION OF NANOTECHNOLOGY PRO11 POSALS.—The Director shall encourage the submis12 sion of proposals under paragraph (1) for support of 

13 nanotechnology related projects.’’; 

14 (2) in subsection (g)— 

15 (A) by striking ‘‘The Director’’ and insert16 ing the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director’’; and 

18 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(2) NANOTECHNOLOGY REPORT REQUIRE20 MENTS.—The report required by paragraph (1) shall 

21 include a description of— 

22 ‘‘(A) how the requirement of subsection 

23 (d)(2) is being met; 

24 ‘‘(B) the number of proposals for nano25 technology related projects received; 


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•S 1482 IS 

1 ‘‘(C) the number of such proposals funded; 

2 ‘‘(D) the total number of such projects 

3 funded since the beginning of the Technology 

4 Innovation Program; and 

5 ‘‘(E) the outcomes of such funded projects 

6 in terms of the metrics described in paragraph 

7 (1).’’; 

8 (3) in subsection (k)(3)— 

9 (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

10 ‘‘and’’; and 

11 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(E) advice on how to accomplish the re13 quirement of subsection (d)(2); and 

14 ‘‘(F) an assessment of the adequacy of the 

15 allocation of resources for nanotechnology re16 lated projects supported under the Technology 

17 Innovation Program.’’; and 

18 (4) in subsection (l)— 

19 (A) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking the 

20 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

21 (B) in paragraph (5), by striking the pe22 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

23 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(6) the term ‘nanotechnology’ has the meaning 

25 given the term in section 15 of the 21st Century 


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•S 1482 IS 

1 Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 

2 U.S.C. 7501(a)).’’. 

3 (c) COORDINATION WITH STATE INITIATIVES.—Sec4 tion 2(b)(7) of the Act, as redesignated by section 

5 2(b)(1)(A) of this Act, is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(7) ensuring United States global leadership in 

7 the development and application of nanotechnology, 

8 including through coordination and leveraging Fed9 eral investments with nanotechnology research, de10 velopment, and technology transition initiatives sup11 ported by the States;’’. 

12 SEC. 8. RESEARCH IN AREAS OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE. 

13 The Act (15 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.) is amended by in14 serting after section 11, as added by section 7(a) of this 

15 Act, the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 12. RESEARCH IN AREAS OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE. 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Program shall include sup18 port for nanotechnology research and development activi19 ties directed toward application areas that have the poten20 tial for significant contributions to national economic com21 petitiveness and for other significant societal benefits. The 

22 activities supported shall be designed to advance the devel23 opment of research discoveries by demonstrating solutions 

24 to important problems in areas such as the following: 

25 ‘‘(1) Nano-electronics. 


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•S 1482 IS 

1 ‘‘(2) Energy production, transmission, storage, 

2 use, and efficiency, including renewable energy. 

3 ‘‘(3) Health care. 

4 ‘‘(4) Water remediation and purification. 

5 ‘‘(5) Instrumentation for nanoscale character6 ization and metrology. 

7 ‘‘(6) Rapid production nanomanufacturing for 

8 information and intelligence, including cost-effective, 

9 green, and safe nanomaterial manufacturing meth10 ods. 

11 ‘‘(7) Precision agriculture. 

12 ‘‘(8) Sensors and sensor networks for defense 

13 and homeland security. 

14 ‘‘(b) ADDITIONAL RESEARCH.—In addition, the pro15 gram will support research that addresses the following: 

16 ‘‘(1) The environment, health, and safety risks 

17 of nanoparticles. 

18 ‘‘(2) Ethical, legal, and societal issues relating 

19 to nanotechnology. 

20 ‘‘(c) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Advisory Panel shall 

21 make recommendations to the Program for candidate re22 search and development areas for support under this sec23 tion. 

24 ‘‘(d) CHARACTERISTICS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Research and development 

2 activities under this section shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) include projects selected on the basis 

4 of applications for support through a competi5 tive, merit-based process; 

6 ‘‘(B) involve collaborations among re7 searchers in academic institutions and industry, 

8 and may involve nonprofit research or edu9 cational institutions and Federal and National 

10 laboratories, as appropriate; 

11 ‘‘(C) when possible, leverage Federal in12 vestments through collaboration with related 

13 State initiatives; and 

14 ‘‘(D) include a plan for fostering the trans15 fer of research discoveries and the results of 

16 technology demonstration activities to industry 

17 for commercial development. 

18 ‘‘(2) PROCEDURES.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Determination of the 

20 requirements for applications under this sub21 section, review and selection of applications for 

22 support, and subsequent funding of projects 

23 shall be carried out by a collaboration of no 

24 fewer than 2 agencies participating in the Pro25 gram. 


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•S 1482 IS 

1 ‘‘(B) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION.—In select2 ing applications for support, the agencies shall 

3 give special consideration to projects that in4 clude cost sharing from non-Federal sources. 

5 ‘‘(3) INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CEN6 TERS.—Research and development activities under 

7 this section may be supported through interdiscipli8 nary nanotechnology research centers, as authorized 

9 by section 2(b)(6), that are organized to investigate 

10 basic research questions and carry out technology 

11 demonstration activities in areas such as those iden12 tified under subsection (b).’’. 

13 SEC. 9. NANOMANUFACTURING RESEARCH. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Act (15 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.) 

15 is amended by inserting after section 12, as added by sec16 tion 8 of this Act, the following: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 13. NANOMANUFACTURING RESEARCH. 

18 ‘‘(a) RESEARCH AREAS.—The Nanomanufacturing 

19 component area of the Program, or any successor compo20 nent area, shall include research on the following: 

21 ‘‘(1) Development of instrumentation and tools 

22 required for the rapid characterization of nanoscale 

23 materials and for monitoring of nanoscale manufac24 turing processes. 


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•S 1482 IS 

1 ‘‘(2) Approaches and techniques for scaling the 

2 synthesis of new nanoscale materials to achieve in3 dustrial-level production rates. 

4 ‘‘(3) Improvements in atomically precise meas5 urement, monitoring, manipulating, and manufac6 turing. 

7 ‘‘(4) Development of nanotechnology production 

8 methods and tools for aerospace information and in9 telligence applications. 

10 ‘‘(b) GREEN NANOTECHNOLOGY.—Interdisciplinary 

11 research centers supported under the Program in accord12 ance with section 2(b)(6) that are focused on nanomanu13 facturing research and centers established under the au14 thority of section 12(c)(3) shall include, as part of the ac15 tivities of such centers, the following: 

16 ‘‘(1) Research on methods and approaches to 

17 develop environmentally benign nanoscale products 

18 and nanoscale manufacturing processes, taking into 

19 consideration relevant findings and results of re20 search supported under the Environmental, Health, 

21 and Safety program component area, particularly as 

22 to full life-cycle assessments, or any successor pro23 gram component area. 

24 ‘‘(2) Fostering the transfer of the results of 

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1 try-led collaborative translational research, with pri2 ority consideration given to proposals that provide 

3 non-Federal funds in an amount not less than 25 

4 percent of the total amount of any funding to be 

5 awarded under the Program. 

6 ‘‘(3) Providing for the education of scientists 

7 and engineers through interdisciplinary studies in 

8 the principles and techniques for the design and de9 velopment of environmentally benign nanoscale prod10 ucts and processes and in the full life-cycle assess11 ment of the nanomaterials and nanotechnologies in12 volved.’’. 

13 (b) REVIEW OF NANOMANUFACTURING RESEARCH

14 AND RESEARCH FACILITIES.— 

15 (1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection, the 

16 terms ‘‘nanotechnology’’, ‘‘nanoscale’’, ‘‘program 

17 component area’’, ‘‘Program’’, and ‘‘Advisory Panel’’ 

18 have the meaning given such terms in section 15 of 

19 the Act, as redesignated by section 6(a)(1) and 

20 amended by section 13 of this Act. 

21 (2) PUBLIC MEETING.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 

23 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 

24 the Director of the National Nanotechnology 

25 Coordination Office established under section 


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•S 1482 IS 

1 3(a) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 7502(a)) shall 

2 sponsor a public meeting, including representa3 tion from a wide range of industries engaged in 

4 nanoscale manufacturing— 

5 (i) to obtain the views of participants 

6 at the meeting on— 

7 (I) the relevance and value of the 

8 research being carried out under the 

9 Nanomanufacturing program compo10 nent area, or any successor program 

11 component area to industry, labor, 

12 and the larger public interest; and 

13 (II) whether the capabilities of 

14 nanotechnology research facilities sup15 ported under the Program are ade16 quate— 

17 (aa) to meet current and 

18 near-term requirements for the 

19 fabrication and characterization 

20 of nanoscale devices and systems; 

21 and 

22 (bb) to provide access to and 

23 use of instrumentation and 

24 equipment at the facilities, by 

25 means of networking technology, 


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•S 1482 IS 

1 to individuals who are at loca2 tions remote from the facilities; 

3 and 

4 (ii) to receive any recommendations 

5 on ways to strengthen the research port6 folio supported under the Nanomanufac7 turing program component area, or any 

8 successor program component area, and on 

9 improving the capabilities of nanotechnol10 ogy research facilities supported under the 

11 Program. 

12 (B) INVITATIONS TO PUBLIC MEETING.— 

13 The Director of the National Nanotechnology 

14 Coordination Office shall invite companies and 

15 labor organizations that are participating in in16 dustry liaison groups to participate in the meet17 ing required by subparagraph (A). 

18 (C) REPORT ON PUBLIC MEETING.—Not 

19 later than 1 year after the meeting sponsored 

20 by the Office, the Director shall prepare and 

21 submit to the Advisory Panel a report docu22 menting the findings and recommendations of 

23 the Director with respect to the meeting re24 quired by subparagraph (A). 

25 (3) ADVISORY PANEL REVIEW.— 


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•S 1482 IS 

1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Panel 

2 shall review the Nanomanufacturing program 

3 component area, or any successor program com4 ponent area, and the capabilities of nanotech5 nology research facilities supported under the 

6 Program to assess the following: 

7 (i) Whether the funding for the Nano8 manufacturing program component area, 

9 or any successor program component area, 

10 is adequate and receiving appropriate pri11 ority within the overall resources available 

12 for the Program. 

13 (ii) The relevance of the research 

14 being supported to the identified needs and 

15 requirements of industry, labor, and long16 term public interest. 

17 (iii) Whether the capabilities of nano18 technology research facilities supported 

19 under the Program are adequate— 

20 (I) to meet current and near21 term requirements for the fabrication 

22 and characterization of nanoscale de23 vices and systems; and 

24 (II) to provide access to and use 

25 of instrumentation and equipment at 


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•S 1482 IS 

1 the facilities, by means of networking 

2 technology, to individuals who are at 

3 locations remote from the facilities. 

4 (iv) The level of funding that would 

5 be needed to support— 

6 (I) the acquisition of instrumen7 tation, equipment, and networking 

8 technology sufficient to provide the 

9 capabilities at nanotechnology re10 search facilities described in subpara11 graph (C); and 

12 (II) the operation and mainte13 nance of such facilities. 

14 (B) INCORPORATION OF FINDINGS FROM

15 PUBLIC MEETING.—In carrying out the review 

16 required by subparagraph (A), the Advisory 

17 Panel shall take into consideration the findings 

18 and recommendations in the report submitted 

19 by the Director of the National Nanotechnology 

20 Coordination Office under paragraph (2)(C). 

21 (C) REPORT ON ADVISORY PANEL RE22 VIEW.—Not later than 24 months after the 

23 date of enactment of this Act, the Advisory 

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1 ate and the Committee on Science and Tech2 nology of the House of Representatives a report 

3 on the review required by subparagraph (A), in4 cluding the following: 

5 (i) The recommendations, if any, of 

6 the Advisory Panel with respect to the 

7 Nanomanufacturing program component 

8 area. 

9 (ii) The report required by paragraph 

10 (2)(C). 

11 SEC. 10. NANOSCALE CHARACTERIZATION AND METROL12 OGY. 

13 The Act (15 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.) is amended by in14 serting after section 13, as added by section 9(a) of this 

15 Act, the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 14. NANOSCALE CHARACTERIZATION AND METROL17 OGY. 

18 ‘‘(a) RESEARCH AREAS.—The Instrument Research, 

19 Metrology, and Standards program component area, or 

20 any successor program component area, shall include re21 search on translational development of instrumentation, 

22 tools, approaches, and techniques required for the charac23 terization of nanoscale materials and for nanoscale metrol24 ogy, including improvements in speed, accuracy, and 

25 scalability. 


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•S 1482 IS 

1 ‘‘(b) ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH, AND SAFETY EF2 FECTS.—Interdisciplinary research centers supported 

3 under the Program in accordance with section 2(b)(6) that 

4 are focused on nanoscale characterization and metrology 

5 in accordance with section 12(c)(3) shall include as part 

6 of the activities of such centers— 

7 ‘‘(1) research on methods and approaches to de8 velop characterization and metrology capabilities rel9 evant to the Environmental, Health, and Safety pro10 gram component area, or any successor program 

11 component area; and 

12 ‘‘(2) fostering the transfer of the results of such 

13 research to industry, including through industry-led 

14 collaborative translational research.’’. 

15 SEC. 11. DELIBERATIVE PUBLIC INPUT IN DECISION16 MAKING PROCESSES. 

17 (a) BEGINNING A NATIONAL DISCUSSION.—Not later 

18 than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 

19 the Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination 

20 Office, established under section 3(a) of the 21st Century 

21 Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 

22 U.S.C. 7502(a)), shall convene the first in a series of na23 tional discussions to engage the people of the United 

24 States, increase their awareness of nanotechnology, and 


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1 give them a continuing voice in the evolution of nanotech2 nology. 

3 (b) FORM.—The Director shall convene the national 

4 discussions required by subsection (a) through not fewer 

5 than 2 deliberative forums in the first 18 months, includ6 ing one large-scale forum and one small-scale forum, and, 

7 in each subsequent year, at least one deliberative forum 

8 that includes each of the stakeholder groups described in 

9 subsection (d). 

10 (c) PARTICIPATION.—The Director shall ensure that 

11 the population of participants in the forums is diverse in— 

12 (1) age; 

13 (2) geography; 

14 (3) income; 

15 (4) ethnicity; and 

16 (5) education. 

17 (d) BROAD PARTICIPATION AND INCORPORATION OF

18 STAKEHOLDER VIEWS.—The Director shall incorporate 

19 the views, positions, and the participation of key stake20 holder groups in the forums, including representatives 

21 of— 

22 (1) academia; 

23 (2) industry; 

24 (3) labor; 

25 (4) environmental organizations; 


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•S 1482 IS 

1 (5) consumer advocacy organizations; 

2 (6) other public-interest, non-governmental or3 ganizations; and 

4 (7) citizens from the general public. 

5 (e) IDENTIFICATION OF PRIORITIES AND CON6 CERNS.—The Director shall identify the collective prior7 ities and concerns of the general public and other stake8 holder groups that relate to— 

9 (1) nanotechnology products; 

10 (2) research and development; 

11 (3) regulatory policy; 

12 (4) other concerns as identified by the group; 

13 and 

14 (5) the means by which citizens can learn about 

15 and participate in policies affecting the design and 

16 use of nanotechnology on an ongoing basis. 

17 (f) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the comple18 tion of each of the forums, the Director shall submit a 

19 report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

20 Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 

21 Science and Technology of the House of Representatives 

22 summarizing the results of the forums and a report issued 

23 and approved by the participants of the small-scale forum. 

24 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

2 appropriated to the Director of National Nanotech3 nology Coordination Office $2,000,000 to carry out 

4 this section. 

5 (2) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—The 

6 amount authorized to be appropriated by paragraph 

7 (1) for the purpose described in that paragraph is 

8 in addition to amounts provided in support of the 

9 operation of the National Nanotechnology Coordina10 tion Office under section 3(b) of the 21st Century 

11 Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 

12 U.S.C. 7502(b)), as amended by section 2(b)(1) of 

13 this Act. 

14 SEC. 12. AMENDMENTS TO DEFINITIONS. 

15 Section 15 of the Act, as redesignated by section 

16 6(a)(1) of this Act, is amended— 

17 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

18 (A) by striking ‘‘atomic, molecular, and 

19 supramolecular levels’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘nanoscale’’; and 

21 (B) by striking ‘‘molecular organization, 

22 properties, and’’ and inserting ‘‘properties or’’; 

23 and 

24 (2) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(7) NANOSCALE.—The term ‘nanoscale’ means 

2 one or more dimensions of between approximately 1 

3 and 100 nanometers. 

4 ‘‘(8) FORMAL LEARNING.—The term ‘formal 

5 learning’ means learning that takes place in a class6 room setting with traditional academic activities and 

7 learning outcomes and emphasizes conceptual knowl8 edge. 

9 ‘‘(9) INFORMAL LEARNING.—The term ‘infor10 mal learning’ means learning that can take place in 

11 museums, nature centers, and through everyday ac12 tivities like gardening, hiking, and participation in 

13 clubs. Informal learning is self-motivated, guided by 

14 learner interests, voluntary, personal, ongoing, con15 textually relevant, collaborative, non-linear, and 

16 open-ended. 

Æ 


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