The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office held a summit in September to discuss ways to create a national network and facilitate access to tools and other resources that are critical to advancing nanotechnology research and development efforts.
Leaders from 35 innovation institutes, open research laboratories and user facilities participated in the inaugural Nanotechnology Infrastructure Leaders Summit held on Sept. 11 at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the White House said Friday.
Key themes of the discussions during the event included the role of better communication and collaboration in bridging basic science and applied research and manufacturing; opportunities to facilitate sharing of best practices across organizations; and the need for researchers and industry stakeholders to understand the diversity and breadth of the country’s shared infrastructure.
For the first theme, one of the examples discussed was the adoption of a “combined approach that leverages the collective expertise and a broader industry perspective” to help establish industry-friendly processes, intellectual property agreements and contracts.
In August, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology issued its assessment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative outlining a set of recommendations on nanotechnology coordination across the federal government.