BECON MEETING MINUTES
March 12, 2001

A meeting of the Bioengineering Consortium (BECON) was held on Monday,

March 12, from 3-5 PM in Room 151 of Building l on the NIH Main Campus. The meeting consisted of a closed business session from 3 to 4 PM and an open session which featured a presentation on the Whitaker Foundation.

Closed Session (3-4 PM):

1. Status of the New Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering (Donna Dean) –The requested budget for the new institute will be made public with the President’s budget announcement on April 2. The establishment package has been prepared and is at the DHHS for approval.
2. BECON 2001 Reparative Medicine Symposium (Chris Kelley and Lore Anne McNicol) – Postcards advertising the symposium are being printed and should be ready for distribution within the next week. Breakout sessions are being staffed with panel members and moderators.
3. Bioengineering Summer Internship Program (Bill Heetderks) – For the past several years, the NIH and Whitaker Foundation have collaborated to support the Bioengineering Summer Internship Program (BESIP). The Whitaker Foundation provides the stipends, and the NIH provides administrative support and research facilities.. The program has been very successful in the past and is expected to continue to provide an excellent training opportunity for undergraduate students.
4. First Annual BRP Grantee Meeting (Dick Swaja and Greg Milman) - The BRP Grantee Meeting is scheduled for Friday, March 23, at the Natcher Conference Center. All BECON members are encouraged to attend this meeting along with relevant grants management staff. Time has been set allotted before and after the plenary agenda for meetings between grantees and NIH staff.
5. Bioengineering Research Partnerships (Terry Nesbitt) – Applications for Bioengineering Research Partnerships were due to the NIH on February 16. Applications are being processed and will be reviewed in the near future.

Dr. Jack Linehan, Vice President of the Whitaker Foundation, gave a presentation on bioengineering programs at the Foundation. Topics discussed included a history of Whitaker, current bioengineering training and research programs, and the future of the Foundation.

Next BECON Meeting:

The next BECON meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 18, from 3 to 5 PM in Room 151 of Building l.