 The National Nanotechnology Program, the single largest federally funded, multi-agency scientific research initiative since the space program in the 1960s, got $3.63 billion of funding over the period of four years.Allen was the founding Chair of the Congressional Nanotechnology Caucus.In 2009, he joined the board of the company Nano Risk Assessment, Inc.

Allen was a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.