Case studies

Meridian Institute: Global public online consultation on the impacts of nanotechnology on the poor

Context
The Meridian Institute is a US-based non-profit organization whose mission is to help people solve problems and make informed decisions about complex and controversial issues.

On 24 January 2005, Meridian released a Paper to raise awareness about the implications of nanotechnology for poor people, both the potential opportunities and risks.

Task
To enable international stakeholders to comment on the issues addressed in the Paper.

Process
Between 24 January and 1 March 2005, people were invited to respond to a number of specific questions about issues addressed in the Paper such as opportunities, risks, challenges for linking nanotechnology and development, and the appropriate roles for various sectors of society (e.g., companies, governments, academics, NGOs).

Participation
Nearly 300 people registered for the consultation and approximately 600 individual comments were submitted.

Results
The results of the consultation are available at http://nanotech.dialoguebydesign.net/