If you have a proposal on how nanotech could address a critical national and societal need, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) wants to hear from you. Nanowerk News reports “NIST seeks white papers on critical national needs, including nanotechnology“. From the source NIST announcement:
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is interested in detailed pitches for critical national and societal needs that could be the basis for new competitions for research funding under its Technology Innovation Program (TIP).
In a Federal Register notice posted on Dec. 16, NIST asked interested parties to submit “white papers” describing an area of critical national need and the associated societal challenge and explain how those needs might be addressed through potential technological developments that fit the TIP profile of high-risk, high-reward R&D. The white papers, along with the input from NIST, the TIP Advisory Board, other government agencies, the technical communities and other stakeholders, will be incorporated into the TIP competition planning process.
Among the areas NIST lists as of particular interest, the following three seem especially suited for nanotech approaches:
- Energy—technologies that address emerging alternative energy sources;
- Water—technologies that address growing needs for fresh water supplies and ensure the safety of water and food supplies from contamination;
- Nanomaterials and nanotechnology—for example technologies that enable the scale-up of nanomaterials and nanodevices from lab prototypes to commercial manufacturing;
—Jim
