Broader societal issues of nanotechnology

Nanoscale science and engineering are providing unprecedented understanding and control over the basic building blocks of matter, leading to increased coherence in knowledge, technology, and education. The main reason for developing nanotechnology is to advance broad societal goals such as improved comprehension of nature, increased productivity, better healthcare, and extending the limits of sustainable development and of human potential. This paper outlines societal implication activities in nanotechnology R&D programs. The US National Nanotechnology Initiative annual investment in research with educational and societal implications is estimated at about $30 million (of which National Science Foundation (NSF) awards about $23 million including contributions to student fellowships), and in nanoscale research with relevance to environment at about $50 million (of which NSF awards about $30 million and EPA about $6 million). An appeal is made to researchers and funding organizations worldwide to take timely and responsible advantage of the new technology for economic and sustainable development, to initiate societal implications studies from the beginning of the nanotechnology programs, and to communicate effectively the goals and potential risks with research users and the public. Technology–society closed loop A key motivation for nanoscale science and engineering research is to advance broad societal goals, from improved understanding of nature at the molecular level to increased productivity through efficient nanomanufacturing (Roco & Bainbridge, 2001; Roco and Tomelini, 2002). Research and development at the nanoscale, nanotechnology applications and societal implications form a coherent and interactive system, which schematically may be visualized as a closed loop (Figure 1). Nanotechnology success is determined by an architecture of factors such as creativity of individual researchers, training of students in nanoscale science and engineering, connections between organizations, patent regulations, physical infrastructure, legal aspects, state and federal policies, and the international context. The success of nanotechnology cannot be determined only by doing good R&D in academic and industry laboratories. Figure 1. A closed loop. Key questions asked by the technology users and public are about economic development and commercialization, education, infrastructure, and societal implications environmental and health effects.