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The NNI is coordinated under the auspices of the White House National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). While individual agencies direct and support specific activities in pursuit of their respective missions, the strength of the NNI stems from the connections and collaborations that bring these efforts together and support the entire nanotechnology research and development ecosystem.
The formal organizational structure for the NNI includes the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee of the NSTC, the Nanotechnology Environmental and Health Implications (NEHI) Working Group, and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO). The NSET Subcommittee is co-chaired by representatives from two agencies and from OSTP (the NNCO Director). NSET participants work together to develop shared goals and priorities for the NNI and to develop a comprehensive nanotechnology R&D program that leverages individual agency resources and investments. Agencies participating in the NEHI Working Group actively collaborate and leverage their respective authorities to advance the NNI Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Strategy. NNCO provides technical and administrative support to NSET and the interagency nanotechnology community.
The NNI also employs a set of informal mechanisms to support interagency discussions, stakeholder engagement, and/or the development of activities focused on specific nanotechnology topics. Communities of interest support and build interagency engagements in priority areas. Strategic Liaisons interface with related Federal groups to share information across activities and connect synergistic activities. Coordinators in key areas serve as points of contact both inside and outside of the Government, and to actively coordinate interagency efforts.
Together, these formal and informal mechanisms provide the framework to coordinate and leverage the activities of the growing list of agencies engaged in nanotechnology and to collaborate with related Federal activities.
