BECON MEETING MINUTES

BECON MEETING – April 28, 2004

Minutes

The NIH's Bioengineering Consortium (BECON) met from 3 to 4:40 PM on Wednesday, April 28, in Room 212 of the Democracy 2 Building in Bethesda , Maryland . Most of the discussion was aimed at the relationship and future of the BECON and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) which administers the Consortium.

BECON and the NIBIB – This item was aimed at discussing the current relationship and the future roles of the BECON and the NIBIB at the NIH. The initial mandates of the BECON were reviewed based on the charter which was developed in 1996. Changes and directions since BECON's establishment and issues associated with the advent of the NIBIB in 2001 were also discussded. The roles of the NIBIB relative to bioengineering, multidisciplinary research and training, and intra-NIH and inter-agency collaborations were described along with possible future roles for the BECON and NIBIB.

BECON 2004 Symposium – Activities are on schedule for the BECON 2004 Symposium on “Bioinformatics in Clinical Decision Making” which is scheduled for June 21-22 at the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH Man Campus. Registration is open and available through the Symposium Web site. All speakers have been confirmed, and a variety of outreach activities for the afternoon of the second day of the meeting are planned.

Fourth BRP Grantee Meeting - The Fourth BRP Grantee Meeting is scheduled for July 29-30 at the Bethesda Hyatt Hotel in Bethesda , Maryland . Current plans are for a 1 ½ day meeting that includes plenary talks, poster sessions, and time for grantee/grantee and grantee/BECON interaction .

BECON Subcommittee on Team Science – A BECON subcommittee with a charge to determine how the NIH can streamline its ability to facilitate “team science” has been formed and met one time prior to the BECON meeting.

Environmental and Health Implications of Nanotechnology - Agencies participating in the National Nanotechnology Initiative NNI) recognize the need to evaluate possible environmental and health effects associated with nanotechnology and are discussing the possibility of a joint research solicitation on environmental and health implications of nanotechnology.

Next BECON Meeting – The next BECON meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 26, from 3 to 4:30 PM in Rooms F1/F2 at the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH Main Campus in Bethesda .