The President’s 2026 Budget requests $1.45 billion for the NNI, with key investments in foundational research that will fuel new discoveries and in application-driven R&D to advance technologies of the future and address national priorities. Cumulative NNI funding since its inception in 2001 totals nearly $47 billion (including the 2026 request). The President’s 2026 Budget supports nanoscale science, engineering, and technology R&D at 10 agencies. See the graph at right for funding trends since the inception of the NNI. The NNI Supplement to the President’s 2026 Budget documents progress of the NNI participating agencies in addressing the goals and objectives of the NNI. As called for in the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, the report also reviews current and planned investments of NNI participating agencies by Program Component Area (PCA).
NNI investments support research to understand matter at the nanoscale and to translate this knowledge into technological breakthroughs that benefit all Americans. The NNI investments in 2024 and 2025 and those proposed for 2026 reflect support for fundamental research in nanoscience; programs to advance applications, devices, and systems; and support for the responsible development of nanotechnology. NNI agencies also support significant investments in research infrastructure, developing new research tools, and making these tools available through user facilities, as well as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to prepare the workforce of the future.
