IIB 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5940 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JUNE 6, 2008 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation 
AN ACT 
To authorize activities for support of nanotechnology 
research and development, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This 
Act 
may 
be 
cited 
as 
the 
‘‘National 
Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 2. NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY PROGRAM AMEND-
MENTS. 
The 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and De-
velopment Act (15 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) by striking section 2(c)(4) and inserting the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(4) develop, within 12 months after the date 
of enactment of the National Nanotechnology Initia-
tive Amendments Act of 2008, and update every 3 
years thereafter, a strategic plan to guide the activi-
ties described under subsection (b) that specifies 
near-term and long-term objectives for the Program, 
the anticipated time frame for achieving the near- 
term objectives, and the metrics to be used for as-
sessing progress toward the objectives, and that de-
scribes— 
‘‘(A) how the Program will move results 
out of the laboratory and into applications for 
the benefit of society, including through co-
operation 
and 
collaborations 
with 
nanotechnology 
research, 
development, 
and 
technology transition initiatives supported by 
the States; 
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‘‘(B) how the Program will encourage and 
support interdisciplinary research and develop-
ment in nanotechnology; and 
‘‘(C) proposed research in areas of national 
importance in accordance with the requirements 
of section 5 of the National Nanotechnology 
Initiative Amendments Act of 2008;’’; 
(2) in section 2— 
(A) in subsection (d)— 
(i) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 
through (5) as paragraphs (2) through (6), 
respectively; and 
(ii) by inserting the following new 
paragraph before paragraph (2), as so re-
designated by clause (i) of this subpara-
graph: 
‘‘(1) the Program budget, for the previous fiscal 
year, for each agency that participates in the Pro-
gram, including a breakout of spending for the de-
velopment and acquisition of research facilities and 
instrumentation, for each program component area, 
and for all activities pursuant to subsection 
(b)(10);’’; and 
(B) by inserting at the end the following 
new subsection: 
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‘‘(e) STANDARDS SETTING.—The agencies partici-
pating in the Program shall support the activities of com-
mittees involved in the development of standards for 
nanotechnology and may reimburse the travel costs of sci-
entists and engineers who participate in activities of such 
committees.’’; 
(3) by striking section 3(b) and inserting the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(b) FUNDING.—(1) The operation of the National 
Nanotechnology Coordination Office shall be supported by 
funds from each agency participating in the Program. The 
portion of such Office’s total budget provided by each 
agency for each fiscal year shall be in the same proportion 
as the agency’s share of the total budget for the Program 
for the previous fiscal year, as specified in the report re-
quired under section 2(d)(1). 
‘‘(2) The annual report under section 2(d) shall in-
clude— 
‘‘(A) a description of the funding required by 
the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office to 
perform the functions specified under subsection (a) 
for the next fiscal year by category of activity, in-
cluding the funding required to carry out the re-
quirements of section 2(b)(10)(D), subsection (d) of 
this section, and section 5; 
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‘‘(B) a description of the funding required by 
such Office to perform the functions specified under 
subsection (a) for the current fiscal year by category 
of activity, including the funding required to carry 
out the requirements of subsection (d); and 
‘‘(C) the amount of funding provided for such 
Office for the current fiscal year by each agency par-
ticipating in the Program.’’; 
(4) by inserting at the end of section 3 the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(d) PUBLIC
INFORMATION.—(1) The National 
Nanotechnology Coordination Office shall develop and 
maintain a database accessible by the public of projects 
funded under the Environmental, Health, and Safety, the 
Education 
and 
Societal 
Dimensions, 
and 
the 
Nanomanufacturing program component areas, or any 
successor program component areas, including a descrip-
tion of each project, its source of funding by agency, and 
its funding history. For the Environmental, Health, and 
Safety program component area, or any successor pro-
gram component area, projects shall be grouped by major 
objective as defined by the research plan required under 
section 3(b) of the National Nanotechnology Initiative 
Amendments Act of 2008. For the Education and Societal 
Dimensions program component area, or any successor 
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program component area, the projects shall be grouped in 
subcategories of— 
‘‘(A) education in formal settings; 
‘‘(B) education in informal settings; 
‘‘(C) public outreach; and 
‘‘(D) ethical, legal, and other societal issues. 
‘‘(2) The National Nanotechnology Coordination Of-
fice shall develop, maintain, and publicize information on 
nanotechnology facilities supported under the Program, 
and may include information on nanotechnology facilities 
supported by the States, that are accessible for use by in-
dividuals from academic institutions and from industry. 
The information shall include at a minimum the terms and 
conditions for the use of each facility, a description of the 
capabilities of the instruments and equipment available for 
use at the facility, and a description of the technical sup-
port available to assist users of the facility.’’; 
(5) in section 4(a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘or designate’’; 
(B) by inserting ‘‘as a distinct entity’’ 
after ‘‘Advisory Panel’’; and 
(C) by inserting at the end ‘‘The Advisory 
Panel shall form a subpanel with membership 
having specific qualifications tailored to enable 
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it to carry out the requirements of subsection 
(c)(7).’’; 
(6) in section 4(b)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘or designated’’ and ‘‘or 
designating’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘At least one member of the Advisory Panel 
shall be an individual employed by and rep-
resenting a minority-serving institution.’’; 
(7) by amending section 5 to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 5. TRIENNIAL EXTERNAL REVIEW OF THE NATIONAL 
NANOTECHNOLOGY PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 
Nanotechnology Coordination Office shall enter into an ar-
rangement with the National Research Council of the Na-
tional Academy of Sciences to conduct a triennial review 
of the Program. The Director shall ensure that the ar-
rangement with the National Research Council is con-
cluded in order to allow sufficient time for the reporting 
requirements of subsection (b) to be satisfied. Each tri-
ennial review shall include an evaluation of the— 
‘‘(1) research priorities and technical content of 
the Program, including whether the allocation of 
funding among program component areas, as des-
ignated according to section 2(c)(2), is appropriate; 
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‘‘(2) effectiveness of the Program’s manage-
ment and coordination across agencies and dis-
ciplines, including an assessment of the effectiveness 
of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office; 
‘‘(3) Program’s scientific and technological ac-
complishments and its success in transferring tech-
nology to the private sector; and 
‘‘(4) adequacy of the Program’s activities ad-
dressing ethical, legal, environmental, and other ap-
propriate societal concerns, including human health 
concerns. 
‘‘(b) EVALUATION TO BE TRANSMITTED TO CON-
GRESS.—The National Research Council shall document 
the results of each triennial review carried out in accord-
ance with subsection (a) in a report that includes any rec-
ommendations for ways to improve the Program’s man-
agement and coordination processes and for changes to 
the Program’s objectives, funding priorities, and technical 
content. Each report shall be submitted to the Director 
of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, who 
shall transmit it to the Advisory Panel, the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 
and the Committee on Science and Technology of the 
House of Representatives not later than September 30 of 
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every third year, with the first report due September 30, 
2009. 
‘‘(c) FUNDING.—Of the amounts provided in accord-
ance with section 3(b)(1), the following amounts shall be 
available to carry out this section: 
‘‘(1) $500,000 for fiscal year 2009. 
‘‘(2) $500,000 for fiscal year 2010. 
‘‘(3) $500,000 for fiscal year 2011.’’; and 
(8) in section 10— 
(A) by amending paragraph (2) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(2) 
NANOTECHNOLOGY.—The 
term 
‘nanotechnology’ means the science and technology 
that will enable one to understand, measure, manip-
ulate, and manufacture at the nanoscale, aimed at 
creating materials, devices, and systems with fun-
damentally new properties or functions.’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(7) NANOSCALE.—The term ‘nanoscale’ means 
one or more dimensions of between approximately 1 
and 100 nanometers.’’. 
SEC. 3. SOCIETAL DIMENSIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY. 
(a) COORDINATOR FOR SOCIETAL DIMENSIONS OF 
NANOTECHNOLOGY.—The Director of the Office of 
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Science and Technology Policy shall designate an associate 
director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
as 
the 
Coordinator 
for 
Societal 
Dimensions 
of 
Nanotechnology. The Coordinator shall be responsible for 
oversight of the coordination, planning, and budget 
prioritization of activities required by section 2(b)(10) of 
the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Develop-
ment Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(b)(10)). The Coordinator shall, 
with the assistance of appropriate senior officials of the 
agencies funding activities within the Environmental, 
Health, and Safety and the Education and Societal Di-
mensions program component areas of the Program, or 
any successor program component areas, ensure that the 
requirements of such section 2(b)(10) are satisfied. The 
responsibilities of the Coordinator shall include— 
(1) ensuring that a research plan for the envi-
ronmental, health, and safety research activities re-
quired under subsection (b) is developed, updated, 
and implemented and that the plan is responsive to 
the recommendations of the subpanel of the Advi-
sory Panel established under section 4(a) of the 21st 
Century Nanotechnology Research and Development 
Act (15 U.S.C. 7503(a)), as amended by this Act; 
(2) encouraging and monitoring the efforts of 
the agencies participating in the Program to allocate 
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the level of resources and management attention 
necessary to ensure that the ethical, legal, environ-
mental, and other appropriate societal concerns re-
lated to nanotechnology, including human health 
concerns, are addressed under the Program, includ-
ing the implementation of the research plan de-
scribed in subsection (b); and 
(3) encouraging the agencies required to de-
velop the research plan under subsection (b) to iden-
tify, assess, and implement suitable mechanisms for 
the establishment of public-private partnerships for 
support of environmental, health, and safety re-
search. 
(b) RESEARCH PLAN.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Coordinator for Societal 
Dimensions of Nanotechnology shall convene and 
chair a panel comprised of representatives from the 
agencies funding research activities under the Envi-
ronmental, Health, and Safety program component 
area of the Program, or any successor program com-
ponent area, and from such other agencies as the 
Coordinator considers necessary to develop, periodi-
cally update, and coordinate the implementation of 
a research plan for this program component area. In 
developing and updating the plan, the panel con-
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vened by the Coordinator shall solicit and be respon-
sive to recommendations and advice from— 
(A) the subpanel of the Advisory Panel es-
tablished under section 4(a) of the 21st Cen-
tury Nanotechnology Research and Develop-
ment Act (15 U.S.C. 7503(a)), as amended by 
this Act; and 
(B) the agencies responsible for environ-
mental, health, and safety regulations associ-
ated with the production, use, and disposal of 
nanoscale materials and products. 
(2) DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDS.—The plan 
required under paragraph (1) shall include a de-
scription of how the Program will help to ensure the 
development of— 
(A) standards related to nomenclature as-
sociated with engineered nanoscale materials; 
(B) engineered nanoscale standard ref-
erence materials for environmental, health, and 
safety testing; and 
(C) standards related to methods and pro-
cedures for detecting, measuring, monitoring, 
sampling, and testing engineered nanoscale ma-
terials for environmental, health, and safety im-
pacts. 
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(3) COMPONENTS OF PLAN.—The plan required 
under paragraph (1) shall, with respect to activities 
described in paragraphs (1) and (2)— 
(A) specify near-term research objectives 
and long-term research objectives; 
(B) specify milestones associated with each 
near-term objective and the estimated time and 
resources required to reach each milestone; 
(C) with respect to subparagraphs (A) and 
(B), describe the role of each agency carrying 
out or sponsoring research in order to meet the 
objectives specified under subparagraph (A) and 
to achieve the milestones specified under sub-
paragraph (B); 
(D) specify the funding allocated to each 
major objective of the plan and the source of 
funding by agency for the current fiscal year; 
and 
(E) estimate the funding required for each 
major objective of the plan and the source of 
funding by agency for the following 3 fiscal 
years. 
(4) TRANSMITTAL TO CONGRESS.—The plan re-
quired under paragraph (1) shall be submitted not 
later than 60 days after the date of enactment of 
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this Act to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate and the Com-
mittee on Science and Technology of the House of 
Representatives. 
(5) UPDATING AND APPENDING TO REPORT.— 
The plan required under paragraph (1) shall be up-
dated annually and appended to the report required 
under 
section 
2(d) 
of 
the 
21st 
Century 
Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 
U.S.C. 7501(d)). 
(c) NANOTECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—As part of the program 
authorized by section 9 of the National Science 
Foundation Authorization Act of 2002, the Director 
of the National Science Foundation shall provide 1 
or more grants to establish partnerships as defined 
by subsection (a)(2) of that section, except that each 
such partnership shall include 1 or more businesses 
engaged in the production of nanoscale materials, 
products, or devices. Partnerships established in ac-
cordance with this subsection shall be designated as 
‘‘Nanotechnology Education Partnerships’’. 
(2) 
PURPOSE.—Nanotechnology 
Education 
Partnerships shall be designed to recruit and help 
prepare secondary school students to pursue postsec-
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ondary 
level 
courses 
of 
instruction 
in 
nanotechnology. At a minimum, grants shall be used 
to support— 
(A) professional development activities to 
enable secondary school teachers to use cur-
ricular materials incorporating nanotechnology 
and to inform teachers about career possibilities 
for students in nanotechnology; 
(B) enrichment programs for students, in-
cluding access to nanotechnology facilities and 
equipment at partner institutions, to increase 
their understanding of nanoscale science and 
technology and to inform them about career 
possibilities in nanotechnology as scientists, en-
gineers, and technicians; and 
(C) 
identification 
of 
appropriate 
nanotechnology educational materials and incor-
poration of nanotechnology into the curriculum 
for secondary school students at one or more 
organizations participating in a Partnership. 
(3) SELECTION.—Grants under this subsection 
shall be awarded in accordance with subsection (b) 
of such section 9, except that paragraph (3)(B) of 
that subsection shall not apply. 
(d) UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAMS.— 
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(1) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—As part of the 
activities included under the Education and Societal 
Dimensions program component area, or any suc-
cessor program component area, the Program shall 
support efforts to introduce nanoscale science, engi-
neering, and technology into undergraduate science 
and engineering education through a variety of 
interdisciplinary approaches. Activities supported 
may include— 
(A) development of courses of instruction 
or modules to existing courses; 
(B) faculty professional development; and 
(C) acquisition of equipment and instru-
mentation suitable for undergraduate education 
and research in nanotechnology. 
(2) COURSE, CURRICULUM, AND LABORATORY 
IMPROVEMENT AUTHORIZATION.—There are author-
ized to be appropriated to the Director of the Na-
tional Science Foundation to carry out activities de-
scribed in paragraph (1) through the Course, Cur-
riculum, and Laboratory Improvement program— 
(A) from amounts authorized under section 
7002(b)(2)(B) of the America COMPETES 
Act, $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; and 
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(B) from amounts authorized under sec-
tion 7002(c)(2)(B) of the America COMPETES 
Act, $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 
(3) ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION AU-
THORIZATION.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to the Director of the National Science 
Foundation to carry out activities described in para-
graph (1) through the Advanced Technology Edu-
cation program— 
(A) from amounts authorized under section 
7002(b)(2)(B) of the America COMPETES 
Act, $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; and 
(B) from amounts authorized under sec-
tion 7002(c)(2)(B) of the America COMPETES 
Act, $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 
(e) INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.—The National 
Science and Technology Council shall establish under the 
Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology Sub-
committee an Education Working Group to coordinate, 
prioritize, and plan the educational activities supported 
under the Program. 
(f) SOCIETAL DIMENSIONS
IN NANOTECHNOLOGY 
EDUCATION ACTIVITIES.—Activities supported under the 
Education and Societal Dimensions program component 
area, or any successor program component area, that in-
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volve 
informal, 
precollege, 
or 
undergraduate 
nanotechnology education shall include education regard-
ing the environmental, health and safety, and other soci-
etal aspects of nanotechnology. 
(g) REMOTE ACCESS TO NANOTECHNOLOGY FACILI-
TIES.—(1) Agencies supporting nanotechnology research 
facilities as part of the Program shall require the entities 
that operate such facilities to allow access via the Internet, 
and support the costs associated with the provision of such 
access, by secondary school students and teachers, to in-
struments and equipment within such facilities for edu-
cational purposes. The agencies may waive this require-
ment for cases when particular facilities would be inappro-
priate for educational purposes or the costs for providing 
such access would be prohibitive. 
(2) The agencies identified in paragraph (1) shall re-
quire the entities that operate such nanotechnology re-
search facilities to establish and publish procedures, guide-
lines, and conditions for the submission and approval of 
applications for the use of the facilities for the purpose 
identified in paragraph (1) and shall authorize personnel 
who operate the facilities to provide necessary technical 
support to students and teachers. 
SEC. 4. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER. 
(a) PROTOTYPING.— 
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(1) ACCESS
TO
FACILITIES.—In accordance 
with section 2(b)(7) of 21st Century Nanotechnology 
Research 
and 
Development 
Act 
(15 
U.S.C. 
7501(b)(7)), the agencies supporting nanotechnology 
research facilities as part of the Program shall pro-
vide access to such facilities to companies for the 
purpose of assisting the companies in the develop-
ment of prototypes of nanoscale products, devices, or 
processes (or products, devices, or processes enabled 
by nanotechnology) for determining proof of concept. 
The agencies shall publicize the availability of these 
facilities and encourage their use by companies as 
provided for in this section. 
(2) PROCEDURES.—The agencies identified in 
paragraph (1)— 
(A) shall establish and publish procedures, 
guidelines, and conditions for the submission 
and approval of applications for use of 
nanotechnology facilities; 
(B) shall publish descriptions of the capa-
bilities of facilities available for use under this 
subsection, including the availability of tech-
nical support; and 
(C) may waive recovery, require full recov-
ery, or require partial recovery of the costs as-
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sociated with use of the facilities for projects 
under this subsection. 
(3) SELECTION AND CRITERIA.—In cases when 
less than full cost recovery is required pursuant to 
paragraph (2)(C), projects provided access to 
nanotechnology facilities in accordance with this sub-
section shall be selected through a competitive, 
merit-based process, and the criteria for the selec-
tion of such projects shall include at a minimum— 
(A) the readiness of the project for tech-
nology demonstration; 
(B) evidence of a commitment by the ap-
plicant for further development of the project to 
full commercialization if the proof of concept is 
established by the prototype; and 
(C) evidence of the potential for further 
funding from private sector sources following 
the successful demonstration of proof of con-
cept. 
The agencies may give special consideration in se-
lecting projects to applications that are relevant to 
important national needs or requirements. 
(b) USE OF EXISTING TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PRO-
GRAMS.— 
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(1) PARTICIPATING
AGENCIES.—Each agency 
participating in the Program shall— 
(A) encourage the submission of applica-
tions for support of nanotechnology related 
projects to the Small Business Innovation Re-
search Program and the Small Business Tech-
nology Transfer Program administered by such 
agencies; and 
(B) through the National Nanotechnology 
Coordination Office and within 6 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, submit to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans-
portation of the Senate and the Committee on 
Science and Technology of the House of Rep-
resentatives— 
(i) the plan described in section 
2(c)(7) 
of 
the 
21st 
Century 
Nanotechnology Research and Develop-
ment Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(c)(7)); and 
(ii) a report specifying, if the agency 
administers a Small Business Innovation 
Research Program and a Small Business 
Technology Transfer Program— 
(I) the number of proposals re-
ceived 
for 
nanotechnology 
related 
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projects during the current fiscal year 
and the previous 2 fiscal years; 
(II) the number of such pro-
posals funded in each year; 
(III) 
the 
total 
number 
of 
nanotechnology related projects fund-
ed and the amount of funding pro-
vided for fiscal year 2003 through fis-
cal year 2007; and 
(IV) a description of the projects 
identified in accordance with sub-
clause (III) which received private sec-
tor funding beyond the period of 
phase II support. 
(2) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND 
TECHNOLOGY.—The Director of the National Insti-
tute of Standards and Technology in carrying out 
the requirements of section 28 of the National Insti-
tute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 
278n) shall— 
(A) in regard to subsection (d) of that sec-
tion, encourage the submission of proposals for 
support of nanotechnology related projects; and 
(B) in regard to subsection (g) of that sec-
tion, include a description of how the require-
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ment of subparagraph (A) of this paragraph is 
being met, the number of proposals for 
nanotechnology related projects received, the 
number of such proposals funded, the total 
number of such projects funded since the begin-
ning of the Technology Innovation Program, 
and the outcomes of such funded projects in 
terms of the metrics developed in accordance 
with such subsection (g). 
(3) TIP ADVISORY BOARD.—The TIP Advisory 
Board established under section 28(k) of the Na-
tional Institute of Standards and Technology Act 
(15 U.S.C. 278n(k)), in carrying out its responsibil-
ities under subsection (k)(3), shall provide the Di-
rector of the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology with— 
(A) advice on how to accomplish the re-
quirement of paragraph (2)(A) of this sub-
section; and 
(B) an assessment of the adequacy of the 
allocation of resources for nanotechnology re-
lated projects supported under the Technology 
Innovation Program. 
(c) INDUSTRY LIAISON GROUPS.—An objective of the 
Program shall be to establish industry liaison groups for 
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all industry sectors that would benefit from applications 
of nanotechnology. The Nanomanufacturing, Industry Li-
aison, and Innovation Working Group of the National 
Science and Technology Council shall actively pursue es-
tablishing such liaison groups. 
(d) COORDINATION WITH STATE INITIATIVES.—Sec-
tion 2(b)(5) of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research 
and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(b)(5)) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(5) ensuring United States global leadership in 
the development and application of nanotechnology, 
including through coordination and leveraging Fed-
eral investments with nanotechnology research, de-
velopment, and technology transition initiatives sup-
ported by the States;’’. 
SEC. 5. RESEARCH IN AREAS OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Program shall include sup-
port for nanotechnology research and development activi-
ties directed toward application areas that have the poten-
tial for significant contributions to national economic com-
petitiveness and for other significant societal benefits. The 
activities supported shall be designed to advance the devel-
opment of research discoveries by demonstrating technical 
solutions to important problems in such areas as nano- 
electronics, energy efficiency, health care, and water reme-
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diation and purification. The Advisory Panel shall make 
recommendations to the Program for candidate research 
and development areas for support under this section. 
(b) CHARACTERISTICS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Research and development 
activities under this section shall— 
(A) include projects selected on the basis 
of applications for support through a competi-
tive, merit-based process; 
(B) involve collaborations among research-
ers in academic institutions and industry, and 
may involve nonprofit research institutions and 
Federal laboratories, as appropriate; 
(C) when possible, leverage Federal invest-
ments through collaboration with related State 
initiatives; and 
(D) include a plan for fostering the trans-
fer of research discoveries and the results of 
technology demonstration activities to industry 
for commercial development. 
(2) PROCEDURES.—Determination of the re-
quirements for applications under this subsection, 
review and selection of applications for support, and 
subsequent funding of projects shall be carried out 
by a collaboration of no fewer than 2 agencies par-
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ticipating in the Program. In selecting applications 
for support, the agencies shall give special consider-
ation to projects that include cost sharing from non- 
Federal sources. 
(3) INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CENTERS.— 
Research and development activities under this sec-
tion may be supported through interdisciplinary 
nanotechnology research centers, as authorized by 
section 2(b)(4) of the 21st Century Nanotechnology 
Research 
and 
Development 
Act 
(15 
U.S.C. 
7501(b)(4)), that are organized to investigate basic 
research questions and carry out technology dem-
onstration activities in areas such as those identified 
in subsection (a). 
(c) REPORT.—Reports required under section 2(d) of 
the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Develop-
ment Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(d)) shall include a description 
of research and development areas supported in accord-
ance with this section, including the same budget informa-
tion as is required for program component areas under 
paragraphs (1) and (2) of such section 2(d). 
SEC. 6. NANOMANUFACTURING RESEARCH. 
(a) RESEARCH
AREAS.—The Nanomanufacturing 
program component area, or any successor program com-
ponent area, shall include research on— 
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