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MNT research is carried out by tens of thousands of researchers in hundreds of sites around the world. It is normal for those in universities, specialized institutes, and corporate labs to work in relative isolation, perhaps with a few others who are in different locations. Wider contacts are made at conferences where papers are presented and through personal networks, but this is often restricted to those who work in the same, specialized field of research. Interaction and open communication among MNT researchers could result in major advancements in the field. For example:

• The overall research effort could become much more efficient by reducing the instances where researchers in one lab are unknowingly doing work - to understand a phenomenon, solve a technical problem, or build a basic device - that has already been done elsewhere.
  
  
• Practical problems could be more easily solved by a combination of micro-nanotechnologies that brings together basic research that has been produced in different labs. The complementary skills and know-how of researchers who work in different labs can be incorporated into one project team.

For many people in the MNT field, the very notion of international collaboration at the level of system design and development is novel. In some places, international collaboration in advanced research in fields such as MNT is discouraged by government regulation. Moreover, researchers are typically deeply involved in frontier research that, more often than not, is very narrow in scope. There is no existing context that would give them the opportunity to join with others whose research is complementary to their work on a larger, shared project.