Legislation

CTA urges US Senate and House of Representatives to increase funding for health and safety research on nanotechnology
March 14, 2007
    CTA strongly urged the US Senate and US House of Representatives to significantly increase appropriations directed to research on the health and environmental implications of nanotechnology. The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) has a FY07 budget of more than $1.3 billion,1 and the proposed 2008 budget provides 1.45 billion, raising the total investment since the NNI was established in 2001 to 8.3 billion and more than tripling the annual investment since 2001.2 However, by the NNI's own estimate, health and environmental implications (EHS) research will receive just 58 million, or a mere 4% of the amount.3 This marginal increase over the 2007 EHS level it is not sufficient: Congress must increase EHS research funding substantially, to at least 100 million annually.

CTA urges additional funding to review social, ethical and environmental effects of nanotechnology
February 15, 2006
Despite greatly increased federal funding for nanotechnology research, comparatively little funding is provided for the review of the social, ethical, and environmental effects of nanotechnologies.  This letter was sent to every Member of Congress, urging an increase in funding for research on the social, environmental, and ethical aspects of these new technologies.