OSTP Director Prabhakar and NSF Director Panchanathan Celebrate One Year Anniversary of President Biden’s Bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act in Reno, Nevada

RENO, NV — Today, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar and U.S. National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan visited the University Nevada, Reno (UNR), for a roundtable discussion to highlight how President Biden’s bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act is fueling innovation and private sector investments that are creating good-paying jobs and opportunity in communities in every corner of Nevada and across America.

During the roundtable with university leadership and project partners, Directors Prabhakar and Panchanathan underscored the importance and impact of the CHIPS and Science Act.

Prabhakar discussed how the CHIPS and Science Act, a key piece of Bidenomics, is doing more than revitalizing American leadership in semiconductor manufacturing—it is driving investments in research and development (R&D) and regional innovation. These investments are advancing American competitiveness and keeping America at the forefront of innovation and technological development.

Panchanathan lauded the CHIPS and Science Act as once-in-a-generation legislation that established a bold vision for accelerating U.S. leadership in innovation. He also praised the law’s authorization of new, critical investments in NSF’s mission and its codification of NSF’s first new directorate in over 30 years: the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP).

Directors Prabhakar and Panchanathan highlighted the NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program that is led by TIP. This program is helping to support innovation in geographies that have not received the full benefits of technology advancement in past decades. 

During the visit, Directors Prabhakar and Panchanathan also met with researchers, students, heads of science and engineering institutions, and business leaders, and toured UNR’s Materials and Electrochemical Research Lab. 

More On NSF Engines program: In May 2023, NSF announced 44 NSF Engines Development Awards spanning 46 U.S. states and territories, each funded at up to $1 million over two years to plan for a future NSF Engine.  One of the 44 teams selected for an NSF Engines Development Award is led by UNR, the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Truckee Meadows Community College, in partnership with dozens of local and regional companies. The team aims to leverage statewide resources and talent in Nevada to grow a circular economy around the life cycle of lithium batteries, with the goal of becoming competitive for a full NSF Engines award worth up to $160 million.

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