The NNCI Coordinating Office has organized Research Communities as a new mechanism for NNCI faculty, staff, and users to focus attention on, support, and advance specific and compelling research topics of national priority, including but not limited to the NSF Big Ideas.
Research Communities are charged with leading activities and developing products that benefit the larger science and engineering communities, with an emphasis on the role of nanotechnology facilities and open-access university infrastructure.
The Research Community for Nanotechnology Convergence is a collaboration of several NNCI sites including the Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network (RTNN), San Diego Nanotechnology Infrastructure (SDNI), Kentucky Multi-Scale Manufacturing and Nano Integration Node (KY Multiscale), and Nanotechnology Collaborative Infrastructure Southwest (NCI-SW). Nanotechnology facilities of the future will play central roles in tackling wicked and global challenges that require convergence approaches and, in many cases, major adaptation to facilitate convergence.
NSF Definition of Convergence Research
- Research Driven by a Specific and Compelling Problem
- Deep Integration Across Disciplines
The goal is to bring together researchers and staff from diverse disciplines and perspectives, facilitate their collaboration, and work toward a common vision and public report for the future role of university open-access facilities in this research area.
The Research Community Topic is dynamic and focuses on new convergence research topic annually.
Year 6 Topic: Convergence in Nanotechnology for Food Security
Year 7 Topic: Convergence in Nanotechnology for Additive Manufacturing
Year 8 Topic: Convergence in Nanotechnology for Climate Change
Timeline of Activities
| November 2020 | Announce the Research Community publicly Open, Online Informational and Planning Meeting to solicit initial ideas and buy-in from potential participants |
| January – February 2021 | Host an Open, Online Informational and Planning Meeting |
| February – October 2021 | Periodic online meetings/seminars enabled by volunteers |
| October 2021 | Online/in-person consensus building meeting (registered guests only) to work toward a report for the future role of nanotechnology facilities in Food Security research |
| October – December 2021 | Write public report on future nanotechnology infrastructure needs for Food Security |
| August 9-10, 2022 | NNCI Nano & Additive Manufacturing Summit hosted at University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky |
| August – November 2022 | Completed Expert Interviews on Nano and Agriculture and analyzed content from our Food and Nutrition Security Workshop; data collection and analysis have nearly been completed and an article is planned for Spring 2023 |
| February 21, 2023 | Online event to Identify Critical Nanotechnology Opportunities for Addressing Climate Change. Read more and register here: www.go.ncsu.edu/rc-nano |
Call to Action
- Interested in joining the mailing list? Simply email rtnanonetwork@ncsu.edu with the subject “Convergence List”
- Do you have ideas for Nanotechnology Convergence topics for 2024 and beyond? Email them to rtnanonetwork@ncsu.edu or jacobjones@ncsu.edu.
Ideas already floated include nanomedicine, convergence in quantum systems, and convergence in the data revolution.
Convergence research is already ongoing. Our goal is to identify these topics, learn how to contribute to them, and to facilitate them.