II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1372 

To provide for a Center for Nanotechnology Research and Engineering. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 11, 2007 

Mr. PRYOR introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To provide for a Center for Nanotechnology Research and 

Engineering. 

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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nanotechnology Infra5 structure Enhancement Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) The 21st Century Nanotechnology Research 

9 and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.) re10 quired that interdisciplinary nanotechnology research 

11 centers be established in geographically diverse locamstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 tions including institutions located in States partici2 pating in the EPSCoR. 

3 (2) The National Science Foundation funds 16 

4 Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers and 1 

5 National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network 

6 with 13 nodes that combined involve more than 50 

7 universities and colleges in the United States. The 

8 awards for the centers and network were made on 

9 the basis of a peer reviewed competition. 

10 (3) Only 3 EPSCoR States have institutions of 

11 higher education with major participation in the pro12 grams of the National Science Foundation centers 

13 and network described in paragraph (2). Other Na14 tional Science Foundation programs support 4 addi15 tional EPSCoR State grants in the field of 

16 nanotechnology. 

17 (4) The National Science Foundation’s 

18 EPSCoR is the primary program by which the Na19 tional Science Foundation seeks to provide an oppor20 tunity for States that traditionally have received lim21 ited amounts of federal research and development 

22 funding to improve the research infrastructure of 

23 their academic institutions. EPSCoR is an impor24 tant component of national efforts to improve 

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1 science, technology, and engineering education, in2 crease innovation, and enhance competitiveness. 

3 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this section: 

5 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

6 the Director of the National Science Foundation. 

7 (2) EPSCOR.—The term ‘‘EPSCoR’’ means the 

8 Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Re9 search authorized in section 113 of the National 

10 Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988 (42 

11 U.S.C. 1862g). 

12 SEC. 4. CENTER FOR NANOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND 

13 ENGINEERING. 

14 (a) CENTER ESTABLISHED.—From amounts appro15 priated under subsection (e), the Director shall establish 

16 a geographically diverse, interdisciplinary Center for 

17 Nanotechnology Research and Engineering (hereafter in 

18 this section referred to as the ‘‘Center’’) to focus on— 

19 (1) the science and engineering of manufac20 turing at the nanoscale in multiple dimensions; or 

21 (2) nanotechnology for sustainable energy, 

22 water, agriculture, and the environment. 

23 (b) CENTER OR NODE.—The Center may be a 

24 Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center or a National 

25 Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network node. 

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1 (c) COMPOSITION.—The Center— 

2 (1) shall consist of a lead academic institution 

3 located in an EPSCoR State; 

4 (2) shall consist of at least 1 additional aca5 demic institution located in a second EPSCoR State; 

6 and 

7 (3) may include other institutions located with8 in or outside the United States. 

9 (d) DUTIES.—The Center shall— 

10 (1) conduct state-of-the-art research on 

11 nanomanufacturing; 

12 (2) collaborate with other National Science 

13 Foundation grantees, and with grantees from other 

14 Federal agencies, working on nanomanufacturing; 

15 (3) share resources with the programs of the 

16 grantees described in paragraph (2) for the purpose 

17 of mutual advantage; and 

18 (4) work toward a nanomanufacturing network 

19 that encourages extensive industrial collaboration. 

20 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

21 are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science 

22 Foundation to carry out this section $2,500,000 for each 

23 of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012. 

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