Military Missions Focus: Nanomanufacturing and Dual-Use Commercialization Conference

One model for integrating industry into federal research initiatives includes the formation of consortia that bring together the key capabilities and stakeholders to foster rapid manufacturing scale-up for military needs.

The recent Nanomanufacturing and Dual-Use Commercialization Conference organized by the Nano Valley Consortium (NVC) and the National Nanotechnology Manufacturing Center from November 3 to 5 in Savannah, GA, provided the platform for networking between existing manufacturers and developers of nano-enabled materials, devices, and products. The three day event brought together attendees and stakeholders from academia, government, and industry to address the primary issues associated with commercialization of nanotechnology having both military and commercial applications, with the goal of leveraging existing capabilities in order to bring new innovations to market more rapidly, and with less expense.

The conference included presentations on various topics related to conducting business with the military, including program opportunities and technology overviews, timely information from the American National Standards Institute on the current state of nanotechnology standards, an overview of Export Control regulations concerning advanced technology, and Intellectual Property practices. Additional presentations included the Federal Labs Consortium discussion of various avenues for getting technology out of the lab, along with examples of small company innovations. Presentations by the Army Armaments Research Development and Engineering Center and NVC provided overviews of immediate technology needs and future opportunities to work within the consortium to further advance nanotechnology-enabled products for manufacturing scale-up.