SciDev.Net

Pacific Disaster Net is an online information disaster risk management resource for Pacific island states. It hosts a library of reports and publications on governance, risk assessment, early warning and training, as well as real-time information and satellite imagery on disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, fires, tsunamis and epidemic outbreaks.

The PHEA — a joint project between seven private US foundations — supports higher education development in Africa. It works in four specific areas: developing and retaining new academics; information and communication technologies for higher education; regional institutional capacity building; and higher education research and analysis.

Within each of these, the PHEA publishes news and information on its projects, highlighting case studies and achievements to date. The PHEA also hosts a database of past and current grants, which, between 2000 and 2008, represent investments of over US$350 million.

The Communication of Science and Technology network (PCST) Academy is responsible for the creation of the documentary basis of the Public Communication of Science and Technology network (PCST) and its main task is the selection and organized collection of reports on particular topics in the field of communication and social understanding of science.

The Pew Center is a non-profit, non-partisan and independent organisation in the United States, dedicated to providing credible information, straight answers and innovative solutions in the effort to address global climate change. Established in 1998 by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Center aims to educate the public and key policy makers about the causes and potential consequences of climate change, particularly through publishing reports on environmental impacts, economics and policy issues.

This website reflects the activities of Practical Action's New Technologies programme. It links to news, briefing papers, reports and articles about nanotechnology, biotechnology and information technology — with particular emphasis on how these affect people in developing countries. The website also provides information on the organisation's individual projects, including the use of nanotechnology to provide clean drinking water and the use of telecentres and podcasting to disseminate information in poor areas. And readers can participate in discussions about new technologies and their potential role in development through the website's blog.

ReAct (Action on Antibiotic Resistance) is a coalition that links a range of individuals, organisations and networks around the world taking concerted action to respond to antibiotic resistance. The organisation campaigns for the appropriate use of antibiotics, and for improved hygiene in hospitals to ensure better infection control.

The organisation produces regular publications, often aimed at policymakers, that analyse the different aspects of antibiotic resistance. [ReAct funds this Spotlight]

The Responsible Nano Forum is a non-profit charity that publishes information on the opportunities and risks presented by nanotechnology, aiming to improve public understanding of this subject and encourage public participation in the debate.

The forum runs public engagement programmes and hosts debates on the social and ethical issues of using nanotechnology.

SPRERI, based in Anand, India, was established in 1979. The institute aims to be a centre of excellence for renewable energies development, and promotes the use of renewables across the country.

ACB is a nongovernmental organisation campaigning for strict biosafety regulations for genetically modified (GM) organisms in Africa.

It provides a useful overview of developments in African biosafety laws and applications of GM technology across the continent. It also hosts a large collection of related briefing documents and research papers and publishes a list of the GM field trial applications submitted in various countries together with the objections lodged against these.

STEMARN is a non-profit organisation, founded by UNESCO. Headquartered at the Arabian Gulf University of Bahrain, it provides a forum for promoting regional technology development and science and technology management.

STEMARN carries out training programmes and studies into Arab science and technology. The network is funded by a number of donors from the Arab world, namely the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development and the Kuwait Foundation for Advancement of Science.

The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, a partnership between the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Pew Charitable Trusts in the United States, is dedicated to minimising the possible risks of nanotechnologies as these technologies advance and ensuring public engagement in decision-making.

It publishes research results and meeting reports on topics such as agriculture and food, medicine and water treatment. The project also publishes news on its own projects and other key developments, and lists relevant events, mostly in the United States. A photo gallery provides access to images of some nano-based products and events.