SciDev.Net

Sentinel Asia, a project led by the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum, provides a platform for promoting remote sensing data for disaster management and for sharing information on disasters in the Asia-Pacific region.

The project draws on data from a range of satellite sensors, including MODIS and AMSR-E among others, to distribute imagery and publish information on wildfires and floods as they occur. Sentinel Asia also offers training and coordinates emergency observation requests for a number of satellites.

SCBA is a non-profit organisation founded in 1984 to promote research in biosciences, facilitate professional contact among its members and to establish a spirit of fraternity and international cooperation.

This electronic forum, managed by Practical Action South Asia, provides a space for stakeholders to share their knowledge and experiences of community-based renewable energy options for South Asia.

The forum includes online discussions about topical energy-related subjects; quarterly e-discussions on energy issues in the region; a bi-annual e-magazine; links to research papers on energy policy; and a notice board for energy related events and news.

TT:CLEAR, launched in 2002 by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), publishes information on technology transfer. It links to needs assessment reports for individual countries and hosts a database that users can search to find relevant documents, projects, organisations, technologies and contacts in different regions of the world. Information on existing financial and technical support options is also available as well as a list of upcoming events.

The Commission is an intergovernmental and international organisation aimed at the uplift of developing countries through applications of science and technology. Established in 1994 at the instigation of Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam, it has 21 member countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. It runs meetings and workshops as well as a network of centres of excellence in selected areas of science and technology.

The UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is undertaking a major initiative to investigate the social and economic context of genomics, which will provide insights into the  fundamental transformations resulting from genomic research (from the impact of new medical practices to changes in agriculture and farming practice). The network is made up of three main research hubs: the Centre for Social and Economic Research on Innovation in Genomics (INNOGEN), the Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics (CESAGen), and the Centre for Genomics in Society (EGENIS).