Interim Report on the Second Triennial Review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (2013) / Chapter Skim
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4 Definitions of Success and Metrics
4 Definitions of Success and Metrics
Pages 16-26
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NNI dollars are spent wisely to advance world-class R&D efficiently and effectively. Cohesive and substantial facilities and networks that are of broad relevance to the nanotechnology community are being built, and these facilities foster collaboration.
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Ideally, quantitative and qualitative metrics is combined with expert assessment whenever possible. NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE GOAL 2: TO FOSTER THE TRANSFER OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES INTO PRODUCTS FOR COMMERCIAL AND PUBLIC BENEFIT A definition of success that might be applied to NNI Goal 2 is the development in the United States of vibrant, competitive, and sustainable industry sectors that use nanotechnology to enable the creation of new products; skilled, high-paying jobs; and economic growth.
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For example, it is extremely difficult to prepare sound economic-impact statements for a new technology that may be invented in the United States but then sold to a company that is headquartered elsewhere. The company may choose to manufacture the nanotechnology-enabled products in a third country but sell them in the United States, possibly yielding improvements in domestic productivity or quality of life, an increase in commercial activity, and financial benefits to U.S.-based shareholders in the company.
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The committee will examine such issues in its final report. NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE GOAL 3: TO DEVELOP AND SUSTAIN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES, A SKILLED WORKFORCE, AND THE SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND TOOLS TO ADVANCE NANOTECHNOLOGY The 2011 NNI Strategic Plan notes that the development and sustainment of the infrastructural elements addressed by NNI Goal 3 are essential for delivering commercial and public benefit from NNI efforts.
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Even the number of students who are receiving formal, career-oriented, "nanotechnology" education at various levels funded by NNI agencies is difficult to assess with the current system for collecting data from the agencies that participate in the NNI; only some agencies appear to collect such data, and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office does not aggregate the data that are available as far as the committee can tell. The committee is considering ways in which data on the supply of workers at all levels of training and education might be aggregated and compared with indicators of the workforce demand for skilled nanotechnology workers as a function of time.
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Outcomes and Impacts: Their Contribution to NNI Objectives and Goals. 6 NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE GOAL 4: TO SUPPORT THE RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT OF NANOTECHNOLOGY NNI Goal 4 attempts "to assure that nanotechnology-enabled products minimize adverse impacts and maximize benefits to humans and the environment." The NNI role in supporting responsible development includes investing in research on potential risks to health or the environment from 4 R
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Because of the complexity of NNI Goal 4, related definitions of success are particularly challenging to distill but may include the following: Development, updating, and implementation of a coordinated program of EHS research leads to development of tools and methods for risk characterization and risk assessment in general -- including both hazards and the likelihood of exposure -- and supports expanding understanding of potential risks posed by broad classes of nanomaterials. Results of EHS research worldwide are public and easily available to researchers and users of nanomaterials.
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Progress toward Goal 4 requires collection of data and development of methods to assess potential risks associated with engineered nanomaterials. Integral to that effort is the design of methods and protocols for assessing properties of nanomaterials and their biologic effects on the environment and on human health and the creation of guidance documents, standards, or other regulatory approaches.
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The result may be exciting graphical representations whose meaning remains uncertain. A key part of the solution is to get scientists together and to work with the NNI community to develop models that can be tested to validate the measures on the ground.
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Appendixes
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