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
Nanotoxicology - Mammalian and Plant Cells Respond Differently to Fullerenes -- Nanowerk (3/10/2010)This article looks at one of the many ways that scientists are exploring, and trying to understand, the potential toxicity of nanomaterials in the environment and in humans. [More]
Food Safety: FDA Should Strengthen Its Oversight of Food Ingredients Determined to Be Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) -- U.S. Government Accountability Office (3/10/2010)The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report, "Food Safety: FDA Should Strengthen Its Oversight of Food Ingredients Determined to Be Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)", stating that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not exercise adequate oversight over certain widely used food additives. [More]
Report on Nanotechnologies and Manufactured Nanomaterials -- Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (3/10/2010)The United Nations' (UN) Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), a policy framework to promote chemical safety around the world, has developed an outline for a report focusing on nanotechnologies and manufactured nanomaterials including, in particular, issues of relevance to developing countries and countries with economies in transition. [More]
Battery, Nanotechnology Partnership Launched by EPA to Protect Environment -- The Bureau of National Affairs' Daily Environment Report (3/9/2010)The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a partnership that will focus on bringing manufacturers of various types of lithium-ion batteries together with EPA and university scientists, non-governmental organizations, and other relevant parties, to help the manufacturers make environmentally sound manufacturing and material choices. [More]
Like Little Golden Assassins, 'Smart' Nanoparticles Identify, Target and Kill Cancer Cells -- Cornell University (3/9/2010)Researchers at Cornell University, United States, have synthesized nanoparticles to identify, target and kill cancer cells. [More]
Nanotechnology for Sustainable Energy -- European Science Foundation (3/9/2010)The European Science Foundation (ESF), the Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung in Österreich (FWF), and the Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck (LFUI) are sponsoring a "Nanotechnology for Sustainable Energy" conference, to be held from July 4-9, 2010, at the Universitätszentrum Obergurgl, Austria. [More]
Big Power from Tiny Wires -- MIT News (3/8/2010)Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, have discovered a previously unknown phenomenon in which carbon nanotubes can produce powerful waves that could be harnessed for new energy systems. [More]
Is Nanotechnology too Broad to Practise? -- Nature Nanotechnology (3/8/2010)This commentary, in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, by Rebekah A. Drezek and James M. Tour, both of Rice University, United States, argues that new regulations concerning nanomaterials should "... consider the details of individual materials, applications and environments to avoid generalizations that might stifle the entire field." The authors note that nanotechnology is extraordinarily broad, making regulation difficult and frustrating, for both regulators and manufacturers. [More]
Pedal-Powered Nanofiltration Kits Sent to Haiti -- Desalination and Water Reuse (3/8/2010)Human-powered nanofiltration water-treatment systems have been sent to Haiti by researchers from the Department of Environmental Science & Engineering at South Korea's Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology (GIST). [More]