The Senate is scheduled to debate patent reform on Wednesday September 7, 2011.  This follows the cloture vote held on Tuesday evening, wherein the cloture vote was 93-5 to invoke cloture with only five Republicans voting nay.  While patent reform is not unique to the cleantech and nanotech innovation ecosystems, patent reform will vitally impact cleantech and nanotech.  Reform includes both what the federal government decided to change and what it decided to not change.  I am guessing that even if patent reform passes soon, we will be hearing calls to improve the patent system faster than, well, a nanosecond.