The University of California at Santa Barbara and the University of California at Los Angeles have joined to build the California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI) which will facilitate a multidisciplinary approach to develop the information, biomedical and manufacturing technologies that will dominate science and economy in the 21st century.

Both science and the economy of the 21st century will require technological breakthroughs in the control of nanometer scale structure and functions, where the top-down approach of electronics manufacture converges with the bottom-up assembly principles of biology. CNSI has chosen to focus on these challenges, dealing with the scientific and technological richness of new advances made possible by the integration of engineered nanoscale building blocks into complex systems. As a California Institute for Science and Innovation (CISI), CNSI builds on a visionary investment in future education, research and technological resources given by the State of California. CNSI also builds upon the existing collaborative strengths of its on-campus participants, and seeks new alliances with industry, universities, and national laboratories.

The vision of the CNSI is to establish a coherent and distinctive organization that serves California and the nation, and that is embedded on the UCSB and UCLA campuses. The CNSI will be a world-class intellectual and physical environment, a collaborative center that will generate ideas, discoveries and the talent that will continue to fuel innovation in Nanosystems.

CNSI believes that major breakthroughs in 21st science and technology will arise from an understanding of how to manipulate, control & manufacture at the nanometer scale. The rewards of such understanding will lie in the formation of engineered materials with exceptional strength, elasticity, sensitivity and intelligence. Control of material at the nanometer scale will ensure the creation of compact, complex and multifunctional systems at the macro-scale that will dramatically augment the capabilities of present-day communications, computation, medical therapies and environmental remediation. Our institute's mission is to create the collaborative, closely-integrated and strongly interactive environment that will foster innovation in nanosystems research and education.