BECON MEETING MINUTES

BECON MEETING – June 16, 2004

Minutes

The NIH Bioengineering Consortium (BECON) met from 3:00 to 4:30 PM in Room 7111 of the Rockledge 2 Building on Rockledge Drive in Bethesda , Maryland . The following text provides the minutes for this meeting.

BECON/BISTIC 2004 Symposium – The BECON/BISTIC 2004 Symposium is scheduled for June 21 and 22 at the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH Main Campus. To date, about 400 people have registered for this meeting. Registration is still open and can be done at the door on June 21. Extramural Co-Chairs are Ruzena Bajcsy and Michael Vannier, BECON/BISTIC Chairs are Larry Clarke and Peter Lyster, and Cooordinating Chairs are Mollie Sourwine and Anna Retzke. Comprehensive satellite programs are scheduled for the afternoon of June 22 after the primary symposium program. Information about the meeting is available on the SYMPOSIUM page of the BECON Web site at http://www.becon.nih.gov .

BRP Grantee Meeting – The Fourth BRP Grantee Meeting is scheduled for July 29-30 at the Bethesda Hyatt Hotel. A one-page preliminary agenda was distributed and discussed at the meeting.

Re-issue of BRG Solicitation - The current Bioengineering Research Grant (BRG) solicitation (PA-02-011) ends with the October 1, 2004 , deadline. The BRG program will be addressed in detail at the July BECON meeting, and a course of action concerning the re-issue will be determined.

BECON Subcommittee on Team Science - Two one-page documents concerning progess by the BECON Subcommittee on Interdisciplinary Research and Team Science (BSIRTS) were distributed at the meeting.

BECON Subcommittee on Future Symposia – A BECON subcommittee aimed at determining topics for future BECON symposia has been formed and will be meeting soon to discuss possible topics for future symposia. Topics suggested for consideration included technology transfer, translational medicine, and public/private partnerships.

BECON Subcommittee on the BRP Program - A BECON subcommittee aimed at evaluating the BRP program has been established to evaluate the efficacy and value of the program, the impact of projected NIH budgets, and issues associated with maintaining and expanding the program. The subcommittee will meet in the near future and may have some results to discuss at the July BECON meeting.

Next BECON Meeting – The next BECON meeting is scheduled for 3 to 4:30 PM on Wednesday, July 21, in Room 7111 of the Rockledge 2 Building. An agenda will be available about a week before the meeting.