State Legislature Establishes Oklahoma Nanotechnology Initiative

(OKLAHOMA CITY) The House and Senate of the Oklahoma Legislature have passed a concurrent resolution (SCR-23) for the establishment of the Oklahoma Nanotechnology Initiative (ONI). According to Senator Gilmer Capps (D-Snyder), Chairman of the Senate Aeronautics and Technology Committee, and co-sponsor of the resolution, “The passage of this resolution is significant because it recognizes and acknowledges the emerging nanotechnology industry and the potential impact it could have on Oklahoma’s economy.” Patterned after the National Nanotechnology Initiative, the ONI, when fully functional, will develop and provide mechanisms for attracting federal research monies and investment capital to Oklahoma to support nanotechnology research and industry growth. Senator Capps points out that this resolution is a critical first step in establishing a nanotechnology center in Oklahoma.

Representative Abe Deutschendorf (D-Lawton), Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology, and co-sponsor of the resolution, added, “This measure represents Oklahoma’s commitment to an emerging technology and our desire to have a significant leadership role as the industry develops and grows.” Representative Deutschendorf notes that the State will need a nanotechnology infrastructure if it is to have a meaningful role and “now is the time to plan for the future.”

The concept of a State nanotechnology initiative originated with the management team of NanoBioMagnetics (NBMI), a nanobiotechnology start-up founded by Charles Seeney, noted scientist and entrepreneur, and Kenneth Dormer, Professor of Physiology at OU’s College of Medicine, OUHSC. They quickly found that little awareness of nanotechnology as a coming “industrial revolution” existed in the State, and recognized the need for some type of focused effort that could be used to link academic, industrial and financial groups – hence, the Oklahoma Nanotechnology Initiative.

In March, the NBMI team met with the Senate Committee on Aerospace and Technology, and, after several discussions, the foundation for a Senate Concurrent Resolution creating the Oklahoma Nanotechnology Initiative was drafted. “The discussions emphasized the importance of developing a nanotechnology infrastructure in Oklahoma,” said Dennis Donaldson, NBMI’s director of public relations. “I pointed out that $1.2 billion has been allocated in the federal budget for nanotechnology research and the State needed a mechanism to attract these funds to Oklahoma.”

Donaldson says that the response from the legislature was very enthusiastic, resulting in the passage of the resolution. “The general feeling seemed to be – let’s move to the forefront,” said Donaldson.

The resolution establishes the Oklahoma Nanotechnology Initiative for the purpose of creating statewide awareness of the emerging nanotechnology industry and its potential impact on Oklahoma, to promote Oklahoma and its resources as a valuable site for industry location, and to serve as a clearinghouse for information to Oklahoma academic, financial, industrial and business communities.

In the beginning, the ONI will be staffed by volunteers with oversight from a Board of Directors comprised of techno-business representatives from the private and public sectors. It will be initially funded through membership fees and corporate donations and grants. There is also a provision for the organization to eventually receive state funding, but Donaldson points out that such funding is probably a couple of years away.