Small size - large impact - Nanowerk

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The Meridian Institute
Tim Mealey
48 Tim Mealey is a co-founder With support from the Rockefeller Foundation (US) and the International Development
and Senior Partner of the Research Centre (Canada), the Meridian Institute is convening the “Global Dialogue
Meridian Institute, United on Nanotechnology and the Poor: Opportunities and Risks” (hereafter referred to as the
States of America
GDNP). The goals of this global scale multi-stakeholder dialogue are to: raise awareness
about the importance of examining both potential benefits and risks of nanotechnology
to meet the needs of the poor in developing countries; to close the gaps within and
between sectors of society to develop an action plan for addressing opportunities and
risks in an open and transparent manner; and to identify the elements of a model for
the role of science and technology in development.
Meridian Institute developed a Paper to raise awareness about the implications of
nanotechnology for poor people, both the potential opportunities and risks. To solicit
views on the issues raised in the paper, Meridian Institute sponsored an on-line
consultation between 24 January and 1 March, 2005. The consultation process enabled
anyone to submit their responses to a set of questions related to the Paper. More than
280 people registered for the on-line consultation process; approximately 600
individual comments were submitted.
Meridian Institute is organizing a small steering group meeting in June 2005 to
refine and further develop the specific details of a multi-stakeholder dialogue process
that will focus on the implications of nanotechnology for poor people in developing
countries. Meridian Institute anticipates organizing one or more multi-stakeholder
meetings during 2005. Although the focus of these meetings will be discussed with
and developed by the steering group, it is likely that multi-stakeholder dialogue
meetings will initially focus on both opportunities and risks associated with a limited
number of tangible issues such as nanotechnology and water, energy, and/or health.