Dr Lisa Friedersdorf, Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), the office responsible for providing technical and administrative support to the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), gave an online lecture on 27th October 2021, under the American Corner @Técnico, a partnership between Técnico and the US embassy in Portugal.

Dr Lisa Friedersdorf spoke of the challenges of implementing the NNI over the next 10 years and highlighted the main goals of the program that aims to ensure the permanence of the United States of America (USA) in the leadership of R&D in nanotechnology, promote the commercialization of Research and Development (R&D) in nanotechnology, engage the public and expand the workforce, and ensure responsible development of nanotechnologies.

The director of the NNCO stressed the collaborative and multidisciplinary nature of these activities, which involve more than 30 US government agencies. The NNCO also coordinates outreach activities and public participation in various ways, including webinars and podcasts. It is responsible for managing the nanoHUB and the R&D infrastructure network available to all researchers in the field.

Dr Lisa Friedersdorf underlined the importance of implementing a multidisciplinary strategic program, such as in the case of nanotechnology, in the USA, anticipating some outcomes that may have significant impact on our lives.