# Center for Nanotechnology in Society > research and education center **Wikidata**: [Q5059788](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5059788) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_Nanotechnology_in_Society) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/center-for-nanotechnology-in-society ## Summary The Center for Nanotechnology in Society is a research and education center established in 2006, classified as a research institute dedicated to generating new knowledge through systematic investigation. As a research institute, it exists specifically to conduct research rather than to grant degrees or provide undergraduate education, distinguishing it from universities that combine teaching and research missions. The entity is documented in English Wikipedia with a Wikidata description identifying it as a research and education center. ## Key Facts - **Entity Name**: Center for Nanotechnology in Society - **Inception**: 2006 - **Classification**: Research institute - **Description**: Research and education center - **Wikipedia Languages**: English (en) - **Sitelink Count**: 1 - **Wikidata Description**: research and education center - **Freebase ID**: /m/0gty28s - **ARK Name Assigning Authority Number**: 87915 - **Related Class**: Research organization (sitelink_count: 41 for the general category) ## FAQs ### Q: What type of organization is the Center for Nanotechnology in Society? A: The Center for Nanotechnology in Society is classified as a research institute—an organization whose primary purpose is to conduct research. Unlike universities that balance teaching and research, or companies that pursue research for commercial ends, research institutes exist purely to generate new knowledge through systematic investigation. ### Q: When was the Center for Nanotechnology in Society established? A: The Center for Nanotechnology in Society was established in 2006, according to the inception date recorded in the source material. ### Q: How is the Center for Nanotechnology in Society different from a university? A: While universities combine teaching and research, a research institute's sole purpose is conducting research. Research institutes like the Center for Nanotechnology in Society don't typically grant degrees or provide undergraduate education—they focus exclusively on investigation and knowledge generation. ### Q: How is a research institute different from a think tank? A: Research institutes like the Center for Nanotechnology in Society focus on fundamental scientific inquiry across all disciplines, while think tanks primarily conduct policy-oriented research to influence government and public policy decisions. ### Q: What distinguishes the Center for Nanotechnology in Society from scientific societies? A: Scientific societies and learned societies are membership-based organizations, whereas research institutes are operational entities conducting hands-on investigation. The Center for Nanotechnology in Society, as a research institute, is an operational entity dedicated to research activities rather than a membership organization. ## Why It Matters Research institutes like the Center for Nanotechnology in Society serve as dedicated engines of discovery, free from the teaching obligations that divide university researchers' attention. By concentrating resources and talent purely on investigation, these organizations accelerate breakthroughs in fields from medicine to technology. They provide spaces where scientists can pursue long-term, high-risk research that might not fit within university or corporate timelines. In an era where innovation drives economic competitiveness and addresses global challenges like climate change and pandemics, research institutes represent critical infrastructure for advancing human knowledge and solving society's most pressing problems. The Center for Nanotechnology in Society, established in 2006, contributes to this ecosystem by focusing specifically on the societal implications and applications of nanotechnology—a field with profound potential to transform multiple industries and address global challenges. The existence of dedicated research institutes matters because they represent organizational forms specifically designed to tackle complex problems without distraction. Many significant scientific advances have emerged from research institutes designed to pursue investigation across disciplines rather than narrow commercial or educational objectives. ## Notable For - Established in 2006 as a dedicated research and education center - Classified as a research institute, distinguishing it from universities, think tanks, and scientific societies - Focused specifically on nanotechnology and its societal implications - Documented in English Wikipedia with structured data representation - Identified by unique identifiers including Freebase ID (/m/0gty28s) and ARK name assigning authority number (87915) - Part of a global network of research institutes recognized across 41 Wikipedia language editions ## Body ### Classification and Identification The Center for Nanotechnology in Society is formally classified as a research institute—an organizational form dedicated exclusively to generating new knowledge through systematic investigation. The entity is documented in knowledge organization systems with multiple identifiers: the Freebase ID /m/0gty28s, the ARK name assigning authority number 87915, and a Wikidata description identifying it as a "research and education center." As a research institute, the Center for Nanotechnology in Society falls under the broader classification of research organizations in library cataloging systems. The general category of "research institute" carries Library of Congress authority ID sh85113043 and German National Library GND ID 4017909-6, though these general identifiers apply to the organizational type rather than this specific entity. ### Historical Context The Center for Nanotechnology in Society was established in 2006, placing it within a period of significant growth in nanotechnology research and increasing scholarly attention to the societal implications of emerging technologies. The early 2000s saw substantial investment in nanotechnology research globally, and the establishment of dedicated centers to study both the technical and social dimensions of this field reflected a maturing approach to technological development—one that considers not just what technologies can be created, but how they will affect society. ### Organizational Distinctions Research institutes like the Center for Nanotechnology in Society are specifically differentiated from several similar organizational forms. Unlike scientific societies or learned societies, which are membership-based organizations that may publish journals and host conferences, research institutes are operational entities conducting hands-on investigation. The Center for Nanotechnology in Society functions as an operational research entity rather than a professional membership organization. The distinction from think tanks is also significant: while think tanks focus primarily on policy-oriented research to influence government and public policy decisions, research institutes pursue fundamental inquiry across all fields. The Center for Nanotechnology in Society, as a research institute, is dedicated to systematic investigation rather than policy advocacy. Research institutes are also distinct from research centers, which may be sub-units within larger organizations rather than standalone entities. The Center for Nanotechnology in Society exists as a dedicated organizational form specifically designed to pursue research objectives. ### Documentation and Recognition The Center for Nanotechnology in Society is documented in English-language Wikipedia, indicating recognition within English-speaking academic and popular knowledge systems. The entity has a sitelink count of 1, reflecting its documentation in at least one Wikimedia project. The Wikidata entry provides structured data including the description "research and education center" and identifies the entity's inception date as 2006. The broader category of research institutes achieves broad international recognition, with Wikipedia articles in 41 languages including Arabic, Bengali, Catalan, Czech, German, Spanish, and others. This extensive linguistic coverage indicates the universal applicability and recognition of the research institute as an organizational form across diverse cultural and national contexts. ### Research Focus While the source material does not provide specific details about the Center for Nanotechnology in Society's research programs, its classification as a center focused on "Nanotechnology in Society" indicates an interdisciplinary approach combining technical nanotechnology research with scholarly investigation of societal implications. This dual focus reflects a broader trend in research organization toward considering the social, ethical, and policy dimensions of emerging technologies alongside their technical development. ### Structured Data Properties The Center for Nanotechnology in Society is associated with the following structured properties derived from Wikidata and academic sources: - **Instance of**: Research institute - **Inception**: 2006 - **Freebase ID**: /m/0gty28s - **Sitelink count**: 1 - **Wikipedia title**: Center for Nanotechnology in Society - **Wikipedia languages**: English (en) - **Wikidata description**: research and education center - **ARK name assigning authority number**: 87915 These identifiers enable the entity to be referenced and linked across multiple knowledge systems, facilitating academic citation, data integration, and cross-referencing with related entities in the research organization landscape.