DHS, CDC, Private Sector Pandemic Influenza Planning
Open Source Models of Collaborative Innovation in the Life Sciences
2004 Bellagio Meeting on Plant Genetic Resources in East and Central Africa
Everglades Adaptive Management Strategy
Joint Ocean Commission Initiative
Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture [PIPRA]
Yale Climate Change Conference
International Workshop on Nanotechnology, Commodities, and Development
Quick Reference Guide to Meridian Institute and Our Nanotechnology Experience
Nanotechnology and Development News Information Flyer
Global Dialogue on Nanotechnology and the Poor: Opportunities and Risks
Meridian Institute, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, International Development Research Centre, and UK Department for International Development, has convened the Global Dialogue on Nanotechnology and the Poor: Opportunities and Risks (GNDP). Goals of the GDNP include: raising awareness about the implications of nanotechnology for the poor; closing the gaps within and between sectors of society to catalyze actions that address specific opportunities and risks; and, identifying ways that science and technology can play an appropriate role in the development process. [More]
International Dialogue on Responsible Research and Development of Nanotechnology
Meridian Institute facilitated the 2004 (USA) and 2006 (Japan) meetings of the International Dialogue on Responsible Research and Development. These meetings, each involving representatives from more than 25 countries and the European Union, focused on how to best ensure nanotechnology research and development programs are carried out in a responsible manner. Summaries of the meetings are available. The 2004 meeting summary includes the results of a questionnaire submitted by participants that describe the goals and status of more than 20 national nanotechnology initiatives. [More]
Dialogue Series on Nanotechnology and Federal Regulation
As nanotechnology moves from the research lab into commercial production and markets, potential regulatory issues may emerge, ranging from worker protection to environmental exposure and risks. To address these issues, Meridian Institute and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS) co-convened a series of three dialogue sessions focused on the relationship between nanotechnology and federal regulation in the United States. [More]
International Council on Nanotechnology Inaugural Meeting
Meridian Institute facilitated the first meeting of the International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON) at Rice University in Houston, Texas. ICON’s mission is to assess, communicate, and reduce the environmental and health risks of nanotechnology. It is a multi-stakeholder group dedicated to research, policy, and communication regarding nanotechnology’s impacts on human health and the environment. [More]
US EPA Interim Ad Hoc Work Group on Nanoscale Materials
Meridian staff facilitated an Interim Ad Hoc Work Group on Nanoscale Materials, which was convened by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).The Work Group discussed potential elements for a voluntary program regarding engineered nanoscale materials, began consideration of regulatory actions US EPA could undertake, and identified issues that needed further consideration. The Work Group submitted it for EPA's consideration in November 2005. [More]
IRGC Workshop on Risk Governance for Nanotechnology
On January 30-31, 2006 Meridian Institute assisted the International Risk Governance Council (IRGC) with the design of workshop objectives and agenda and served as facilitator for a Workshop on Risk Governance for Nanotechnology at the SwissRe Global Dialogue Centre in Zurich, Switzerland. The workshop was attended by 30 thought leaders with diverse perspectives from different parts of the world and organizational settings. [More]
Pew Charitable Trusts and Woodrow Wilson Center Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies NanoFrontiers Workshop
The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies is a partnership between the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Pew Charitable Trusts, dedicated to helping ensure that as nanotechnologies advance, possible risks are minimized, public and consumer engagement remains strong, and the potential benefits of these new technologies are realized [More]
Rockefeller Foundation Meetings on Nanotechnology
Meridian Institute organized and facilitated two meetings at the request of The Rockefeller Foundation. These were small informational meetings about nanotechnology for the senior leadership of the Foundation, including former President Gordon Conway and the Directors of the Global Inclusion, Food Security, and Health Equity Programs. [More]
Presentations & Conferences
To contribute to the goals of our nanotechnology projects, Meridian Institute has participated in and presented at the following events:
The Rockefeller Foundation, Senior Leadership Meetings (October 2003, USA)
SwissRe, Conference on Nanotechnology (January 2005, Switzerland)
ICS-UNIDO, North-South Dialogue on Nanotechnology (February 2005, Italy)
Foresight Institute, 13th Annual Conference (October 2005, USA)
Canadian Federal Nanotechnology Network (October 2005, Canada)
International Risk Governance Council, Nanotechnology Project Meeting (July 2006, Switzerland)
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, GreenNano Series (various events in 2005 and 2006, USA)
Information & Resources
Meridian Institute offers the following resources to help people make informed decisions:
Nanotechnology and Development News
Paper on Nanotechnology, Water, and Development
Nanotechnology and Development News Water Compilation
Online Consultation for the Global Dialogue on Nanotechnology and the Poor: Opportunities and Risks
Nanotechnology: Small wonders -- Nature (9/1/2010)This article takes an in-depth look at the United States National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)'s first 10 years - to find out where the money went and what the initiative plans to do next. [More]
Pakistan's Science Minister Attacks Funding Cuts -- SciDev.Net (9/1/2010)The Pakistan government has cuts its funds for the Pakistan Ministry of Science and Technology's 2010-2011 budget by almost half, causing the science minister, Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, to criticize his own government. [More]
Nanotechnology Quintuples Heating Capacity of Solar Water Heaters -- Renewable Energy Magazine (9/1/2010)Researchers at the University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil, have developed a solar heating system that uses nanotechnology to heat water to five times the temperature of a conventional system, while also permitting the collector surface area to retain up to 98 percent of heat from solar radiation. [More]
Advances Offer Path to Shrink Computer Chips Again -- The New York Times (8/31/2010)Scientists at Rice University and Hewlett-Packard, both in the United States, are reporting this week that they can overcome a fundamental barrier to the continued rapid miniaturization of computer memory, an advance that could allow manufacturers to pack even more power into ever smaller devices like laptops, smart phones and digital cameras. [More]
NANO Magazine - Issue 7 -- Research and Markets (8/31/2010)The August 2010 issue of NANO Magazine explores new technologies for energy generation, disease prevention and water purification that have the potential to change the developing world and save millions of lives. [More]
Nanotech on Farmers' Fields -- Silicon Nutrition (8/31/2010)A plant nutrition study that addresses nano-sized plant nutrients is now available from the Landbouwkundige Uitgeverij G.C. van den Berg (Veenendaal, The Netherlands). [More]
Entrepreneur Profile: SabryCorp Makes Inroads into Nanotechnology -- thedailynewsegypt.com (8/30/2010)This article features a man, Mohamed Abdel-Mottaleb, who is trying to bring Egypt up to speed in the nanotechnology race. [More]
A Simple Filter Could Make LCDs More Efficient -- MIT Technology Review (8/30/2010)Liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), which are used in everything from televisions to cell phones, use several layers of optical devices to colorize, polarize, and shutter light from a backlight, with inefficiencies emerging at every step. [More]
Medical Nanotech Could Find Unconventional Oil -- New Scientist (8/30/2010)Conservative estimates of oil remaining in United States oil fields amounts to at least 360 billion barrels, according to Iraj Ershaghi, a petroleum engineer at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and nanotechnology could be a way to exploit oil reserves that conventional methods cannot reach. [More]