Benchmarks

Raising the Nanotech Flag

  • July 1999
  • By David Rotman
   

Putting together materials and devices atom by atom in order to exploit novel properties is one of the most promising areas of investigation in everything from microelectronics to medicine. But much of the research in this field, called nanotechnology, is scattered throughout more mature disciplines, such as physics and chemistry. Likewise, federal funding is disjointed, with money flowing out of various agencies.

A national nanotech initiative could change all that. The proposal, outlined by a panel of officials from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other governmental agencies, would double federal spending on nanotech to roughly $500 million annually and would establish a series of multimillion-dollar nanotech research centers. It would also attempt to coordinate spending. President Clinton is expected to decide in September whether to include the initiative in the fiscal 2001 budget.

 

To read the entire article you must log in:

Most of our content — all daily news, blogs, and videos — is free. Magazine stories are paid. To read this story, you must have a subscription or you must use a reading credit. Registration to Technology Review is free and entitles registrants to three free reading credits.

Username or REGISTER
Password  
   
 
Advertisement

MAGAZINE

Can We Build Tomorrow's Breakthroughs?

Manufacturing in the United States is in trouble. That's bad news not just for the country's economy but for the future of innovation.

Videos

Meet 2011 TR35 Winner Jesse Robbins

More

Technology Review Lists

TR50

Our list of the 50 most innovative companies, including the following:

Groupon

Silver Spring Networks

Cellular Dynamics International

Roche

More

Advertisement

Facebook

Advertisement