As part of the US$2.13 trillion budget proposed for the U.S. federal government for fiscal year 2003, the Bush Administration has requested a total of $679 million for the multi-agency National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), a 17 percent increase over FY2002.
The request includes:
- An 11% increase for the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), to $221 million from $199 million
- A 12% increase for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), to $201 million from $180 million
- A 16% increase for the U.S. Department of Commerce, presumably primarily at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), to $44 million from $38 million
- A 6% increase for the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), to $43 million from $41 million
- And a whopping 53% increase for the Department of Energy (DoE), to $139 million from $91 million. The DoE operates many of the U.S. national laboratories that are engaged in nanotech-related research.
According to the Analytical Perspectives: Budget of the United States Government, a document which discusses the Administrationís budge proposals in detail:
The budget provides $679 million for the multi-agency National Nanotechnology Initiative, a 17 percent increase over 2002. The initiative focuses on long-term research on the manipulation of matter down to the atomic and molecular levels, giving us unprecedented building blocks for new classes of devices as small as molecules and machines as small as human cells. This research could lead to continued improvement in electronics for information technology; higher-performance, lower-maintenance materials for defense, transportation, space, and environmental applications; and accelerated biotechnical applications in medicine, healthcare, and agriculture. In 2003, the initiative will focus on fundamental nanoscale research through investments in investigator-led activities, centers and networks of excellence, as well as the supporting infrastructure. Priority areas include: research to enable efficient nanoscale manufacturing; innovative nanotechnology solutions for detection of and protection from biological-chemical-radiological-explosive agents; the education and training of a new generation or workers for future industries; and partnerships and other policies to enhance industrial participation in the nanotechnology revolution. The convergence of nanotechnology with information technology, modern biology and social sciences will reinvigorate discoveries and innovation in many areas of the economy.
The document is available online as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file (about 3.2 Mb). Additional budget documents are available at the White House/Office of Management and Budget (OMB) website.
It is worth noting that the document also mentions the following areas that will be addressed by the U.S. Information Technology Initiative: "trust" (security, reliability, and privacy); high-assurance software and systems; and micro- and embedded sensor technologies.
