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This report, published by the Meridian Institute describes the growing interest that developing countries, including Brazil, China, India and South Africa are showing for nanotechnology. It describes the ways in which nanotechnology applications could solve problems of health, sanitation, and pollution and provide faster, cheaper information and communication technologies.

The report also reviews the challenges of using nanotechnology for and in developing nations. Finally, it outlines the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders in ensuring that nanotechnology moves forward responsibly.

The Meridian Institute says nanotechnology could play a role in achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals — a set of quantified development objectives to be achieved by 2015. As a result, governments of rich nations should dedicate a "reasonable" portion of their overseas development assistance to nanotechnology.

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This report by the UK Government-funded Economic and Social Research Council presents an overview of nanotechnology and its commercial applications, from cosmetics to the defence industry. It features a chapter on the debate between those who claim that nanotechnology will have a positive impact on society and those who consider it dangerous. A useful literature summary in the second appendix briefly describes the contents of 25 key documents published in the field of nanotechnology in recent years.

The insurance industry trades in risk, and therefore has a vested interest in assessing the risks connected to emerging technologies. This report presents an overview by the leading insurance company Swiss Re. It assesses the range of risks to human health and the environment posed by nanotechnology and the implications for insurance.

The report says that the unknown risks of toxicity and pollution associated with nanotechnology are unacceptable. Swiss Re is concerned nanotechnology may follow the same route as asbestos, a product that was used chiefly in construction materials for many years, posing great risks to human health and the environment, before the real scale of its toxicity was revealed.

The report's appendices summarise potential applications for nanotechnology in the fields of information technology, medicine, pharmaceuticals and energy processing. The full text of the report is only available in pdf format.