The 18th meeting of the EC-US Task Force on Biotechnology was hosted on 5th-6th June 2008 by the JRC Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (IHCP). The meeting has been preceded by a workshop on "Current status and potential developments of nanobiotechnology research" on 3rd-4th June in Ispra.

The Task Force, that comprises senior scientists from Europe and the United States, organizes workshops that are attended by prominent researchers and practitioners in many fields related to biotechnology which are held as satellite events to the annual meetings. Additional workshops are also held throughout the year at research locations in Europe or the United States. In an informal setting, leading scientists from different scientific areas bring their views in the workshops. The purpose is to look into the future of emerging fields of bioscience, to learn and understand challenges and opportunities ahead. Results of the workshops are reported to the Task Force meeting and feed back into the research agendas.

What is the JRC Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (IHCP)

The Institute for Health and Consumer Protection is part of the Directorate General Joint Research Centre (DG JRC), of the European Commission. Its mission is to protect the interests and health of the consumer in the framework of EU legislation on chemicals, food and consumer products by providing scientific and technical support including risk-benefit assessment and analysis of traceability.