U.S. nanotechnology proponents advocate for yoking nanotechnology to a challenge akin to the ?man-on-the-moon? mission ? something dramatic and daring that will amaze the public and excite the scientists.

The international race for the high ground in nanotechnology development and applications is heating up as U.S. government efforts gain momentum, funding and direction.

The U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space yesterday held the Senate's first hearing on the new science, signaling recognition of nanotechnology's growing importance to U.S. global competitiveness. But while government and business investment in nanotechnology is on the rise, it may not be enough to fix some of the research and funding problems affecting the industry, said experts who testified at the hearing.

The U.S. senate is considering funding for nanotechnology but free-market critics argue that the industry does not need government subsidies.

The White House has signed off on a report detailing the full scope and breadth of the budget request and research vision established by the National Nanotechnology Initiative, which includes a heightened commitment to using nanotechnology to fight weapons of mass destruction.

The NanoBusiness Alliance, the first trade organization dedicated entirely to nanotechnology, lobbied the U.S. congress recently on the importance of funding nanotechnology research.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has selected nanotechnology as one of its major research emphases during the next decade.