Posted: October 4, 2007

US launch of international consultation for new 'responsible nanocode'

(Nanowerk News) The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies will host the U.S. launch of an international consultation on a new Code for Responsible Nanotechnology aimed principally at businesses and research organizations. This initiative is funded by Britain’s Royal Society and the United Kingdom government-sponsored Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network, and supported by the Nanotechnology Industries Association, and Insight Investment.
The event will take place on Tuesday, October 9th, between 12:30 and 2:00 p.m., at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. It will be webcast live at: www.wilsoncenter.org/nano. Send RSVPs for the meeting only to [email protected].
The aim of the “Responsible NanoCode” is to establish a consensus on what constitutes good practice and, in the absence of regulation, to provide interim guidance on what organizations and businesses can do to demonstrate they are managing nanotechnologies responsibly.
The Working Group which developed the draft code is now soliciting comments from all types of organizations around the world that are interested in nanotechnologies. The draft Code will be presented at this meeting by Working Group representatives Rachel Crossley, Insight Investment, and Steffi Friedrichs, Nanotechnology Industries Association.
A panel of experts will offer their initial views, and then the meeting will open for discussion. The panel includes: Michael Hansen, Consumer Policy Institute, Consumers Union; Michael Holman, Senior Analyst, Lux Research, and Sean Murdock, Executive Director, NanoBusiness Alliance (invited).
Comments can be submitted directly via the Code’s website, www.responsiblenanocode.org, until November 12th 2007.
*** Webcast LIVE at http://www.wilsoncenter.org/nano ***
Who:
Working Group Members: Rachel Crossley, Director, Investor Responsibility, Insight Investment Steffi Friedrichs, Executive Director, Nanotechnology Industries Association
Expert Panelists: Michael Hansen, Senior Staff Scientist, Consumers Union Michael Holman, Senior Analyst, Lux Research Sean Murdock, Executive Director, NanoBusiness Alliance (invited) David Rejeski, Director, Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, Moderator
What: U.S. Launch of International Consultation on “Responsible NanoCode”
When: Tuesday, October 9, 2007 @ 12:30 p.m. (Lunch available at noon.)
Where: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 5th Floor Conference Room. Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. (Directions at www.wilsoncenter.org/directions)
The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies was launched in 2005 by the Woodrow Wilson Center and The Pew Charitable Trusts. It is dedicated to helping businesses, governments, and the public anticipate and manage the possible health and environmental implications of nanotechnology.
Source: Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies