8 
Two meetings of the Committee were held in November 1976. The first 
of these, on November 4, was devoted to a review of the development of 
the NIH Guidelines. The Committee also reviewed activities in other 
countries on the development of guidelines for this research. Recombinant 
DNA research is being conducted in a number of countries, including Canada, 
the United Kingdom, the Scandinavian countries, most other parts of western 
Europe, eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and Japan. 
In many countries, appropriate governmental or scientific bodies have 
reviewed the research and have agreed that it should proceed. Several of 
the countries have acted to establish guidelines to govern the conduct of 
this research, including the United Kingdom and Canada. In the United 
Kingdom, a parliamentary committee addressed the issue and indicated that 
work in this area should continue under appropriate safety conditions. 
Scientific advisory committees of international organizations, such as 
the World Health Organization, the International Council of Scientific 
Unions, and the European Molecular Biology Organization, have made similar 
recommendations . 
The European Science Foundation, representing member nations from 
Western Europe and Scandinavia, has recommended to its members that they 
follow the guidelines of the United Kingdom. These guidelines are, in 
intent and substance, very similar to those of the National Institutes 
of Health. The NIH is currently working very closely with the United 
Kingdom and the European Science Foundation to ensure a commonality of 
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