Title 15Commerce and TradeRelease 119-73not60

§7508 Additional Centers

Title 15 › Chapter 101— NANOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT › § 7508

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

The program must set up two centers through a merit-review, competitive process. One center will study and share information about nanotechnology’s social, ethical, environmental, education, legal, and workforce effects, identify likely problems, and give recommendations to prevent or fix them. The other center will research new manufacturing methods for materials and devices with new mixes of properties (for example strength, toughness, density, conductivity, flame resistance, and membrane separation) and help move those methods into U.S. industry. The Council, using the Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, must report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on Science: within 6 months after December 3, 2003, which agency will lead and which others will help set up the centers; and within 18 months after December 3, 2003, how the centers have been created.

Full Legal Text

Title 15, §7508

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Program shall provide for the establishment, on a merit-reviewed and competitive basis, of an American Nanotechnology Preparedness Center which shall—
(1)conduct, coordinate, collect, and disseminate studies on the societal, ethical, environmental, educational, legal, and workforce implications of nanotechnology; and
(2)identify anticipated issues related to the responsible research, development, and application of nanotechnology, as well as provide recommendations for preventing or addressing such issues.
(b)The Program shall provide for the establishment, on a merit reviewed and competitive basis, of a center to—
(1)encourage, conduct, coordinate, commission, collect, and disseminate research on new manufacturing technologies for materials, devices, and systems with new combinations of characteristics, such as, but not limited to, strength, toughness, density, conductivity, flame resistance, and membrane separation characteristics; and
(2)develop mechanisms to transfer such manufacturing technologies to United States industries.
(c)The Council, through the Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, shall submit to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on Science—
(1)within 6 months after December 3, 2003, a report identifying which agency shall be the lead agency and which other agencies, if any, will be responsible for establishing the Centers described in this section; and
(2)within 18 months after December 3, 2003, a report describing how the Centers described in this section have been established.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Committee on Science of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Science and Technology of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 6, One Hundred Tenth Congress, Jan. 5, 2007. Committee on Science and Technology of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, Jan. 5, 2011.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

15 U.S.C. § 7508

Title 15Commerce and Trade

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60