BECON MEETING MINUTES

BECON MEETING – May 21, 2003

Public Minutes

The NIH’s Bioengineering Consortium (BECON) met on Wednesday, May 21, from 3 to 5 PM in Room 1328 of Building 50 on the NIH Main Campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The following text provides the minutes for this meeting.

BECON 2003 Symposium – Plans are in the final stages for the BECON 2003 Symposium titled “Catalyzing Team Science” which is scheduled for June 23-24 at the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH Main campus. Conference Chair Dan Sullivan (NCI) distributed three one-page passouts that summarized the agenda, status of the breakout sessions, and action item status. Copies of the symposium poster were made available at the meeting, and BECON members were asked to take copies for posting in their work areas.

BRP Grantee Meeting – The Third BRP Grantee Meeting is scheduled for June 24-25 at the Bethesda Marriott (Pooks Hill) Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. The meeting is scheduled to follow the BECON 2003 Symposium. Activities begin at 2 PM on June 24 and end around noon on June 25. After the welcome session, three NIH presentations will be provided based on grantee interest. Grantee participation will include a 5-minute, 2-slide presentation summarizing the project and progress, and a two-page formatted summary of the project and issues.

BECON Biosensor Symposium Report – A draft of the report for the BECON 2002 Symposium on “Sensors for Biological Research and Medicine” that was held on June 24-25, 2002, has been prepared and distributed by e-mail to BECON members for review. A 6-page executive summary from the draft report was distributed at the BECON meeting along with a one-page list of sensor-related initiatives related to the symposium.

BRP Solicitation Review – The BECON subcommittee to review and revise the BRP solicitation met on Monday, May 19. A one-page summary of the issues for future consideration and questions for the Consortium to answer was distributed at the BECON meeting. Future activities of the subcommittee include a meeting during the first week of June to develop a short-list of issues for focused consideration and preparation of a draft solicitation for BECON review by mid-August.

NIST Symposium and ATP Program – A 4-page information package concerning a NIST/ASTM Symposium titled “ Metrology and Standards for Cell Signaling: Impact on Tissue Engineering” was distributed at the meeting. The symposium is scheduled for October 14-15, 2003, at the Green Auditorium (Building 101) on the NIST Campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The purpose of the symposium is to address the need for accurate measurements, reference materials, and standards that will facilitate the understanding and control of cell response. Detailed information about the symposium is available on the Internet at http://www.cstl.nist.gov/biotech/cellsignaling.htm .

A summary of 47 NIST FY02 awards for the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) was also distributed. A total of 472 proposals were submitted for the FY02 NIST ATP. The 47 awards consist of 7 joint ventures and 40 single companies.

BECON 2004 Symposium – A one-page proposal for a possible BECON 2004 symposium was distributed and discussed.

Next BECON Meeting - The next BECON meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18, from 3 to 5 PM in Room 151 of Building l on the NIH Main Campus in Bethesda, Maryland. A preliminary agenda will be available about a week before the meeting.