Goal Four Objectives

Goal 4: Support responsible development of nanotechnology.

As detailed in the 2016 NNI Strategic Plan, the objectives for this goal are as follows:

4.1. Support the creation of a comprehensive knowledge base for evaluation of the potential risks and benefits of nanotechnology to the environment and to human health and safety.

  4.1.1. Identify and update relevant knowledge gaps and prioritize needs through active stakeholder engagement, including with industry, government, and nongovernmental organizations.

  4.1.2. Adopt or develop and validate measurement tools and decision-making models to enable hazard and exposure quantification for human and environmental risk assessment and management.

  4.1.3. Engage in international efforts, including those aimed at generating best practices and consensus standards.

4.2. Create and employ means for timely dissemination, evaluation, and incorporation of relevant environmental, health, and safety (EHS) knowledge and best practices.

  4.2.1. Explore new avenues to engage with a broad group of stakeholders, to communicate EHS research progress, and to share technical information.

  4.2.2 Pursue mechanisms to disseminate information about the state of understanding with respect to EHS aspects of nanotechnology.

  4.2.3. Participate in coordinated international efforts focused on sharing data, guidance, and best practices for environmental and human risk assessment and management.

4.3. Develop the national capacity to identify, define, and responsibly address concepts and challenges specific to the ethical, legal, and societal implications (ELSI) of nanotechnology.

  4.3.1. Promote awareness of and education about ELSI among relevant stakeholders, including manufacturers, regulators, nongovernmental organizations, workers, and the public.

  4.3.2. Foster deliberative interactions, such as public forums, among relevant stakeholders concerning national and global ELSI.

4.4. Incorporate sustainability in the responsible development of nanotechnology.

  4.4.1. Encourage the development of engineered nanomaterials that are safer and more sustainable alternatives to materials—nanoscale and otherwise—that are now in use.

  4.4.2. Promote the design and development of safe and environmentally benign manufacturing and end-of-life processes for engineered nanomaterials and nanotechnology-enabled products.