The following minutes are a summary of proceedings of the BECON meeting of September 22, 1999. Business conducted during the closed session is included in outline form only. Complete minutes including details of the closed session have been distributed by e-mail to Consortium members.

Closed Session

During the closed session, the following items were discussed:

1. Status of BECON support for the National Research Council's Biomaterials Roundtable.
2. Status of Bioengineering Research Partnerships (BRP) 1 (1999) and 2 (2000).
   1. Total proposals received, reviewed, and funded for BRP-1
   2. Status of program announcement for BRP-2.

3. SBIR Nanotechnology Announcement Status.
4. National Nanotechnology Initiative
   1. NIH involvement with the Interagency Working Group on Nanotechnology
   2. Preparation for OMB and PCAST Meetings

Open Session

1. BECON Symposium on Nanotechnology - This conference is scheduled for June 25-26, 2000, at the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH Main Campus. The Conference Chairs, Dr. Jeff Schloss and Dr. Eleni Kousvelari, discussed objectives of the meeting and a timetable for near-future planning which includes:
   • September 29 - Initial meeting of the conference coordinating committee
     
   • October 14 - Meeting of committee and key outside advisors to determine symposium content, format, and outreach programs.
     
   • October 20 - Meeting of committee to follow up on October 14 meeting.

   Dr's. Schloss and Kousvelari asked members to provide them with suggestions for topics, speakers, or format for the conference; names of key advisors to provide planning assistance; and suggestions for possible outreach programs (e.g., how to work with NIH) as soon as possible.

2. Dates for Future Meetings - The October meeting will be held on the fourth Wednesday, October 27, from 3 to 5 PM in Room 151 of Building 1. Beginning in November, BECON meetings will be held on the third Wednesday of the month at the same time and place. Thus, the dates for the last two meetings of calendar year 1999 are November 17 and December 15.

3. Topics for Future Meetings - Possible topics for future meetings were discussed including NASA research programs concerned with medical problems encountered during space flight and FDA interactions with bioengineering. Suggestions or comments on future speakers or topics should be transmitted to Dick Swaja.

The next BECON meeting is scheduled for October 27 from 3 to 5 PM. The open session will feature representatives of the National Patient Safety Foundation who will discuss and national initiative aimed at improving patient safety and reducing errors in health care settings.