| Summary: |
Approximately seventy participants from the EC and US attended the 3rd Joint EC- NSF Workshop on Nanotechnology, which consisted of three poster sessions focusing on the future technical opportunities of, educational implications for, and societal implications of nanotechnology. The workshop revealed that the EC and US nanotechnology communities face common technical, educational, and societal challenges that would benefit from enhanced collaborations. Several specific recommendations came to light during the course of this workshop. For instance, there are opportunities in the application of nanotechnology to energy usage, protection of the environment, information technology, and biotechnology that can be promoted through EC-US technical partnerships. The connection of these applications to commercial opportunities and public policy is an area that is furthermore ripe for joint exploration with industry and government. Additionally, models for technical workforce recruitment and training that are compatible with the US and EC educational systems are needed, as are models for professional development. |