[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 210 (Monday, November 1, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67149-67150]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-27358]


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OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY


Request for Public Comment on the Draft 2010 National 
Nanotechnology Initiative Strategic Plan

AGENCY: White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

ACTION: Notice: request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: With this notice, the White House Office of Science and 
Technology Policy and the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and 
Technology

[[Page 67150]]

Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council request 
comments from the public regarding the draft 2010 National 
Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) Strategic Plan. The draft plan is 
posted at http://strategy.nano.gov. Comments of approximately one page 
or less in length (4,000 characters) are requested. This request will 
be active from November 1, 2010 to November 30, 2010.

DATES: Comments are invited beginning November 1, 2010 and must be 
received by 11:59 p.m. EST on November 30, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Respondents are encouraged to register online at the NNI 
Strategy Portal at http://strategy.nano.gov to post their comments 
(4,000 characters or less) as a response to the request for public 
comment. Alternatively, comments of one page in length or less may be 
submitted via e-mail to: [email protected]. Please do not include in 
your comments information of a confidential nature, such as sensitive 
personal information or proprietary information.
    Overview: The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) Strategic 
Plan is the framework that underpins the nanotechnology work of the NNI 
member agencies. It aims to ensure that advances in nanotechnology 
research and development (R&D) and their applications to agency 
missions and the broader national interest continue unabated in this 
still-young field. Its purpose is to facilitate achievement of the NNI 
vision by laying out targeted guidance for agency leaders, program 
managers, and the research community regarding planning and 
implementation of nanotechnology R&D investments and activities.
    The NNI is a U.S. Government R&D program of 25 agencies working 
together toward the common challenging vision of a future in which the 
ability to understand and control matter at the nanoscale leads to a 
revolution in technology and industry that benefits society. The 
combined, coordinated efforts of these agencies have accelerated 
discovery, development, and deployment of nanotechnology towards agency 
missions and the broader national interest. Established in 2001, the 
NNI involves nanotechnology-related activities by the 25 member 
agencies, 15 of which have budgets for nanotechnology R&D for Fiscal 
Year (FY) 2011.
    The NNI is managed within the framework of the National Science and 
Technology Council (NSTC), the Cabinet-level council that coordinates 
science and technology across the Federal government and interfaces 
with other sectors. The Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology 
(NSET) Subcommittee of the NSTC coordinates planning, budgeting, 
program implementation, and review of the NNI. The NSET Subcommittee is 
composed of senior representatives from agencies participating in the 
NNI (http://www.nano.gov).
    The NSET Subcommittee has solicited multiple streams of input to 
inform the development of a revised NNI Strategic Plan. Independent 
reviews of the NNI by the President's Council of Advisors on Science 
and Technology and the National Research Council of the National 
Academies have made specific recommendations for improving the NNI. 
Additional input has come from the NNI Strategic Planning Stakeholders 
Workshop in Arlington, Virginia, on July 13-14, 2010 (details available 
online: http://www.nano.gov/html/meetings/NNISPWorkshop/index.html) as 
well as in responses to a Request for Information published in the 
Federal Register on July 6, 2010 and comments posted online in response 
to challenge questions from July 13-August 15, 2010, at the NNI 
Strategy Portal (http://strategy.nano.gov).
    The NNI Strategic Plan represents the consensus of the 
participating agencies as to the high-level goals and priorities of the 
NNI and specific objectives for at least the next three years. It 
describes the four overarching goals of the NNI, the major Program 
Component Areas established in 2004 to broadly track the categories of 
investments needed to ensure the success of the initiative, and the 
near-term objectives that will be the concrete steps taken toward 
collectively achieving the NNI vision and goals. Finally, the plan 
describes collaborative interagency activities, including three 
Nanotechnology Signature Initiatives that are a new model of 
specifically targeted and closely coordinated interagency, cross-sector 
collaboration designed to accelerate innovation in areas of national 
priority.
    Your comments on this draft of the plan must be received by 11:59 
p.m. EST on Sunday, November 30, 2010. Please reference page and line 
numbers as appropriate, and keep your responses to 4,000 characters or 
less. You may also e-mail your responses, no more than one page in 
length, to [email protected].
    Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by 
the Federal Government to form a binding contract or issue a grant. 
Information obtained as a result of this notice may be used by the 
Federal Government for program planning on a non-attribution basis. Do 
not include any information that might be considered proprietary or 
confidential. Please be aware that your comments may be posted online.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any questions about the content of 
this notice should be sent to [email protected]. Questions and 
responses may also be sent by mail (please allow additional time for 
processing) to the address: Office of Science and Technology Policy, 
ATTN: NNI Strategic Plan Comments, Executive Office of the President, 
725 17th Street, Room 5228, Washington, DC 20502. Phone: (202) 456-
7116, Fax: (202) 456-6021.

Ted Wackler,
Deputy Chief of Staff.
[FR Doc. 2010-27358 Filed 10-29-10; 8:45 am]
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