NEW YORK — Two key legislators have called for the quick reauthorization of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI).

At the Nanobusiness 2008 conference here Monday (May 5), Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee, both endorsed fast-track commercialization of nanotechnology research as a way to boost U.S. productivity.

Draft legislation coming out of the House science panel would expand NNI, which was approved by Congress in 2003. The initiative established interagency planning and budgeting. Twenty-six federal agencies participate in NNI, 13 of which contribute to its R&D budget.

The House will consider amendments to the NII bill on Wednesday (May 7), and "there is a real possibility to enact the legislation this year," said Gordon.

Added Kerry: "We need to deal more effectively to move nanotechnology products from labs to shelves," adding that enabling legislation is needed to maintain the U.S. lead in nanotech research. Kerry, chairman of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, said he wants to leverage the Small Business Innovation Research program to accelerate nanotech innovation.

Gordon said he will try to attach the nanotech funding request to President George Bush's supplemental budget request for the Iraq war. "If the president vetoes it, we'll go back next year with another attempt. Meanwhile, this process is a good education for members of Congress to understand the significance nanotechnology plays in our economy," said Gordon.

Gordon also has proposed creation of a research agency within the Energy Department patterned after the Defense Advanced Projects Agency. "Project managers would come up with promsing projects and pounce on them," Gordon said.

During the Nanobusiness 2008 conference, Jeff Welser, director of Nanolectronics Resarch Initiative at Semiconductor Research Corp. (SRC), announced the formation of the fourth center for cooperative research. The new center, the Midwest Academy for Nanoelectronics and Architectures (South Bend, Ind.) adds 11 universities to the NRI program. The new center will focus on energy efficient devices and architectures, modeling of phonon management and energy dissipation.

SRC also announced the latest round of awards for the NRI, a public-private partnership that aims to maintain U.S. leadership in next-generation electronics through device development based on nanometer-scale materials. A total of $15 million is committed to nanoelectronics funding at the four NRI centers over the next three years.

Chip makers participating in NRI include Advanced Micro Devices, Freescale Semiconductor, IBM, Intel, Micron Technology and Texas Instruments.