Meridian Institute Nanotechnology, Water & Development Workshop

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Meridian Institute convened the International Workshop on Nanotechnology, Water, and Development 10-12 October 2006 in Chennai, India to address the potential opportunities and risks of nanotechnology water purification technologies for developing countries and to develop recommendations and identify activities that will inform decisions and catalyze actions by stakeholders (e.g., water experts, development experts, governments, NGOs, companies, universities, international institutions, donors) involved with (a) nanotechnology research and development efforts relevant to providing clean water in developing countries and (b) activities to address potential environmental, health, safety, socio-economic, and other issues related to the use of nanotechnology in water treatment devices.

Water Workshop participants from developed and developing countries and with a broad range of perspectives and expertise discussed the range of challenges people in developing countries may face when developing and implementing strategies for improving basic sanitation and access to clean water. Building on a shared understanding of these challenges, participants discussed opportunities for using nanotechnology to address water supply and sanitation challenges, and risks and other issues that need to be addressed in relation to specific nanotechnology applications.

The Water Workshop is one of several activities in Meridian Institute’s ongoing Global Dialogue on Nanotechnology and the Poor: Opportunities and Risks (GDNP), designed to close the gaps between people working on nanotechnology and those working on international development through the following goals.

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, especially those of significance to developing countries; and
Identifying ways that science and technology can play an appropriate role in the development process.

Support for the GDNP is provided The Rockefeller Foundation (United States), International Development Research Centre (Canada), and Department for International Development (United Kingdom).

For more information on Meridian Institute, the GDNP, and our other nanotechnology projects, please visit http://www.merid.org/nano.

Nanotechnology and Development News - A free, daily news service from Meridian Institute about nanotechnology and development

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