On March 31, 2016, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) published its supplement to the President’s 2017 budget request.  The supplement also serves as the NNI annual report called for under the provisions of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003.  NNI states that the President’s budget request provides $1.4 billion for NNI, with a cumulative total of nearly $24 billion since the inception of NNI in 2001 (including the 2017 request), “affirming the important role that nanotechnology continues to play in the Administration’s innovation agenda.”  The President’s budget supports nanoscale science, engineering, and technology research and development at 11 federal agencies.  Another nine agencies have nanotechnology-related mission interests or regulatory responsibilities.  The supplement documents the progress of these agencies in addressing the goals and objectives of NNI.  According to NNI, over the past year, NNI participating agencies, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) “have been charting the future directions of the NNI, including putting greater focus on promoting commercialization and increasing education and outreach efforts to the broader nanotechnology community.”  As part of this effort, NNI has established Nanotechnology-Inspired Grand Challenges, “ambitious but achievable goals that will harness nanotechnology to solve National or global problems and that have the potential to capture the public’s imagination.”  OSTP announced the first Nanotechnology-Inspired Grand Challenge (for future computing) on October 20, 2015.  Topics for additional Nanotechnology-Inspired Grand Challenges are under review.

[View source.]