Report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) - "NANOMANUFACTURING: Emergence and Implications for U.S. Competitiveness, the Environment, and Human Health"

The US GAO recently convened a forum on the future on nanomanufacturing in the U.S. and has produced a 125 page report. 

 

The forum described nanomanufacturing as a future megatrend that will potentially match or surpass the digital revolution's effect on society and the economy. They anticipated further scientific breakthroughs that will fuel new engineering developments; continued movement into the manufacturing sector; and more intense international competition. 

 

One of several areas highlighted is the need for standardization. The Graphene Council is actively engaged in working with ANSI and ISO regarding standardization of nomenclature for graphene materials, processes and characteristics. 

The U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), begun in 2001 and focusing primarily on R&D, represents a cumulative investment of almost $20 billion, including the request for fiscal year 2014.

 

As research continues and other nations increasingly invest in R&D, nanotechnology is moving from the laboratory to commercial markets, mass manufacturing, and the global marketplace--a trend with potential future import that some compare to history's introduction of technologies with major economic and societal impact, such as plastics and even electricity.

  

Today, burgeoning markets, innovation systems, and nanomanufacturing activities are increasingly competitive in a global context--and the potential EHS effects of nanomanufacturing remain largely unknown.

 

To read more about the GAO report, please visit . . . 

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-181SP