Europe Spends Nearly Twice as Much as U.S. on Nanotech Risk Research
WASHINGTON, April 21/PRNewswire/ --
- Assessment of 2006 Funding Shows U.S. Lags in Highly Relevant Nano Risk
Research
A new analysis by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN)
indicates that European nations are investing nearly twice as much as the
U.S. in research primarily aimed at addressing the potential risks of
nanotechnology. The analysis also highlights a substantial over-inflation of
the federal government's nanotechnology risk-research investment figures for
the U.S.
The new PEN assessment of nanotechnology risk-relevant projects
identified by the federal government's National Nanotechnology Initiative
(NNI) for fiscal year 2006 found that only US$13 million was invested in
projects highly relevant to addressing possible risks.
Over the same time period, the PEN analysis found European countries
invested nearly US$24 million in projects with the primary aim of addressing
nanotechnology risks.
PEN evaluated research projects listed in the NNI research strategy --released in February 2008 but without specifics regarding the annual project
budget or the applicability of each project to assessing potential hazards --by their relevance to addressing current and future nanotechnology risks.
Research was classified according to whether it was highly relevant to
addressing potential environment, health or safety hazards, substantially
relevant, having some relevance, or was only marginally relevant.
By collecting individual project budget data from publicly available
sources, an estimate was made of funding levels for 2006. The assessment
found 62 federally-funded projects that were highly relevant to understanding
nanotechnology risk, with an estimated annual budget of US$13 million.
In contrast, the federal government estimates US$37.7 million was
invested in highly relevant research in fiscal year 2006. According to PEN
Chief Science Advisor Andrew Maynard, "It appears the U.S. is guilty of
wishful thinking in its assessment of research that will lead to the
development of safe nanotechnologies. It is trying to substitute research
that might inform science's general understanding of possible nanotechnology
risks for research that is focused on getting answers to direct questions
being asked today -- what makes a nanomaterial potentially harmful, how can
it be used safely, and what happens when it is eventually disposed? Both the
U.S. government figure and the results of the PEN assessment show that less
than 3 percent of the US$1.4 billion federal nanotechnology research budget
was spent on environment, health and safety research."
Draft legislation proposed by U.S. House of Representatives Science
Committee Chair Bart Gordon (D-TN) would amend the NNI act to include a
minimum 10 percent mandate for the nanotechnology federal research and
development budget devoted to EHS research in the future, amounting to
approximately US$150 million annually.
The PEN assessment is available at:
www.nanotechproject.org/process/assets/files/6691/ehs_risk_research_inventory
_080416_final.pdf
The PEN environment, health and safety research inventory is available
at: www.nanotechproject.org/inventories/ehs
About Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the ability to measure, see, manipulate and manufacture
things usually between 1 and 100 nanometers. A nanometer is one billionth of
a meter; a human hair is roughly 100,000 nanometers wide. By 2014, Lux
Research projects that US$2.6 trillion in global manufactured goods will
incorporate nanotechnology, or about 15 percent of total global output.
The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies is an initiative launched by the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and The Pew Charitable
Trusts in 2005. It is dedicated to helping business, government and the
public anticipate and manage possible health and environmental implications
of nanotechnology.
Web site: http://www.nanotechproject.org
Source: The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
Julia Moore, +1-202-691-4025 (work), +1-202-277-1415 (mobile), julia.moore@wilsoncenter.org, or Sharon McCarter, +1-202-691-4016, sharon.mccarter@wilsoncenter.org, both of The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
2008-04-21 19:03:56 0341217 PRNEWSWIRE