NIRT: Nanotechnology in the Public Interest: Regulatory Challenges, Capacity, and Policy Recommendations

纳米结构跨学科研究团队(NIRT)奖是对积极的纳米结构和纳米系统(ANN)征集(NSF 05-610)以及与长期纳米科学和工程进步相关的社会和教育问题的主题的回应。该项目评估了现有的联邦和州政府监管能力--这里定义为在科学专业知识、法律权威、组织设计和相关监管框架方面的充足能力--以应对新兴纳米级创新和产品带来的社会和政策挑战，并在适当情况下为建设应对这些挑战所需的能力提出建议。该项目评估了当前的州和联邦监管能力，并确定了在尚不足以应对纳米技术的新的交叉挑战的情况下，建设能力所需的条件。该项目的重点是NNI战略计划(2004年)衍生的两个贯穿各领域的应用--环境改善以及医药和健康--但所获得的经验教训更适用于一般情况。总体而言，组织、专门知识和框架形式的有效监管机构可以促进纳米技术研究和开发的进展，促进含有纳米级技术的产品顺利和及时地商业化，保护公众免受纳米技术和纳米技术革命可能产生的负面影响，并在此过程中回应公众对纳米技术和纳米技术革命的关注。另外还注意评估和发展马萨诸塞州联邦的必要能力，该州目前处于纳米技术研究和开发的前沿，对纳米技术对其未来经济健康的中心地位有必要的期望。教育和外联工作解决了当前和未来的政策制定者，特别是相关联邦、州和地方机构和办公室的行政专业人员以及报道纳米技术相关问题的记者的能力建设的相伴需要。NNI预计21世纪的劳动力将接受纳米材料和工艺方面的专门培训；这必须包括政策制定者和记者。

This Nanostructure Interdisciplinary Research Team (NIRT) award is in response to the Active Nanostructure and Nanosytems (ANN) solicitation (NSF 05-610) and the theme of Societal and Educational Issues Associated with Long-Term Nanoscale Science and Engineering Advances. This project evaluates existing federal and state government regulatory capacity--defined here as sufficiency in scientific expertise, legal authority, organizational design, and relevant regulatory frameworks--to address the societal and policy challenges posed by emerging nanoscale innovations and products, and, where appropriate, make recommendations for building requisite capacity to address these challenges. The project assesses current state and federal regulatory capacity and identifies what is required to build capacity where it is not already sufficient to address the novel and crosscutting challenges of nanotechnology. The project's focus is on two crosscutting applications derived from the NNI Strategic Plan (2004)--environmental improvement, and medicine and health--but lessons obtained apply more generally. Overall, effective regulatory institutions, in the form of organizations, expertise, and frameworks, can serve to promote the advancement of nanotechnology research and development, promote smooth and timely commercialization of products containing nanoscale technologies, protect the public from possible negative effects of nanotechnology and the nanotech revolution, and, in the process, be responsive to public concerns regarding nanotechnology and the nanotech revolution. Additional attention is paid to assessing and developing requisite capacity in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a state currently at the forefront of nanotechnology research and development with requisite expectations about the centrality of nanotechnology to its future economic health. Education and outreach efforts address the concomitant need to build capacity among current and future policymakers, particularly administrative professionals in relevant federal, state, and local agencies and offices, as well as journalists who cover nanotechnology related issues. The NNI expects the workforce of the 21st century to have specialized training in nanoscale materials and processes; this must include policymakers and journalists.