Download the Nanotechnology and Development News Informational Flyer

Available via e-mail, online and RSS News Feed, Nanotechnology and Development News is a free daily news service covering the most important global developments at the nexus of nanotechnology, poverty alleviation, and the role of science and technology in development.

Nanotechnology and Development News provides succinct summaries of the most pertinent news stories, op-eds, journal articles, and reports on scientific innovations and technological applications; policy issues; risk-related information; intellectual property rights and access to data; technology transfer and capacity building; global and regional networks; and economic development.

Nanotechnology and Development News draws information from a diverse range of sources including peer-reviewed journals, international news wires, and a variety of publications form industry, government, and NGOs.

Nanotechnology and Development News is an example of the tools and strategies developed by Meridian Institute to help people solve problems and make informed decisions. Support for Nanotechnology and Development News is provided by the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (http://www.dfid.gov.uk/).

Meridian Institute has developed several background papers and resources to inform the activities of the on-going Global Dialogue on Nanotechnology and the Poor: Opportunities and Risks (GDNP):

Nanotechnology, Commodities and Development
This paper provides a brief introduction to issues at the intersection of commodity dependence, development, and technology; general information regarding the opportunities and challenges nanotechnology offers for developing countries and, in particular, commodity-dependent developing countries; and descriptions of commodity markets that are important to many developing countries (e.g., agriculture, mining and minerals, textiles, and rubber and composites), an overview of nanotechnology applications relevant to those sectors, and specific examples of relevant nanotechnology applications.

Commodities, Development, and Technology
As a supplement to “Nanotechnology, Commodities, and Development,” this paper provides an overview of commodity markets, commodity dependence and poverty; the history, trends, and key issues in global commodity markets and how these issues affect commodity-dependent developing countries; and key issues at the intersection of commodity dependence, development, and technology.

Nanotechnology and Commodities Database
An online database cataloging specific examples of nanotechnology applications relevant to agricultural, mining and mineral, textile, rubber and composite, and other commodities.

Nanotechnology, Water and Development
Provides information about the scale and significance of water and sanitation problems in developing countries, the broad array of challenges associated with improving access to water, and the possible opportunities and risks of using nanotechnology to address these challenges.

Overview and Comparison of Conventional and Nano-Based Water Treatment Technologies
As a supplement to the "Nanotechnology, Water, and Development." Specifically, this paper responds to numerous requests for a comprehensive document that facilitates comparisons of conventional and nanotechnology-based water treatment devices.

NDN Water Compilation
Provides a compilation of all water-related NDN news summaries. This compilation is intended as a resource for people interested in applications and implications of using nanotechnology to improve access to clean water and basic sanitation in developing countries.

Nanotechnology and the Poor: Opportunities and Risks - Closing the Gaps Within and Between Sectors of Society
Meridian Institute released this paper in January 2005 to raise awareness about the implications of nanotechnology, including both potential opportunities and risks, for poor people.

For more information on Meridian Institute's nanotechnology projects, please visit http://www.merid.org/nano/.