The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering's 2004 report Nanoscience and nanotechnologies: opportunities and uncertainties was commissioned by the UK Government. The Government published its response to the report in February 2006 and announced that the Council for Science and Technology (CST) would review the progress the Government had made two and five years after the publication of this response.
CST published its first review in March 2007. The academies were pleased that CST's review endorsed many of the concerns that they has raised in their submission to CST's call for evidence in October 2006.
The academies prepared this initial response to the review. We will consider CST's review in detail and will comment further if appropriate. The academies urge the Government to announce ear-marked funding for research into the uncertainities around the health, safety and environmental impacts on free nanoparticles and nanotubes when it formally responds to CST's review.