The Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) at Rice University in Houston, Texas, recently announced the formation of the International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON). The ICON is a collaboration among academic, industry, regulatory and non-governmental interest groups that will work to assess, communicate, and reduce potential environmental and health risks associated with nanotechnology.
"As a global science company, DuPont is proud to be a founding sponsor of ICON as it creates an international forum for discussion and debate of nanotechnology stewardship issues where diverse groups of stakeholders can work together to progress the boundaries of science in a sustainable and responsible way," said William Provine, DuPont's ICON representative.
ICON Founding Sponsors include DuPont, Procter and Gamble, Intel, L'Oréal, Mitsubishi Corporation/Frontier Chemical Corporation and the Swiss Reinsurance Company.
"ICON was created to directly and openly address issues of nanotechnology sustainability now so that potential benefits can be maximized and potential pitfalls can be avoided," said CBEN Director Vicki Colvin.
Activities in four categories including science and engineering research; social science research; collaborative policy activities; and public communication and outreach will be supported by the council.
Posted October 29th, 2004
