Funding for the United States National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) would increase by slightly more than US$200 million under President Obama’s fiscal year 2012 budget request. The funding would be used to help the government and private sector understand how to develop materials, devices and systems to exploit this emerging technology. John Holdren, the director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), said the budget reductions being proposed by House Republicans could be damaging if applied to federal research funding, and would harm U.S. economic growth and U.S. competitiveness in energy, biomedicine and other fields where nanotechnology is expected to bring significant advances. “If we see those cuts, we’re going to see a lot of damage,” Holdren said. But, he added, “I don’t believe we are going to see those cuts. I don’t think Republicans are going to vote for those cuts.” More than a dozen agencies participate in NNI, and focus their research in three areas: nanoelectronics, sustainable manufacturing, and nanotechnology for solar energy collection and conversion. The article can be viewed online at the link below.