The picture is more complicated for junior mining companies since they are trying to finance and develop new projects.

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The aim of this foundation is to raise awareness, to bring together traditional and new stakeholders and to develop pilot projects, with a view to rolling out these practical solutions more broadly.

UNESCO: Visit of H.R.H Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, UNESCO Special Envoy on Literacy for Development, on the occasion of International Literacy Day 2012 | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

In this new partnership, UNESCO and ASME will develop projects that improve engineering education standards, including best practices in engineering education, curriculum design, and teacher training.

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And already, Mercer said, Iridium is urging scientists to develop projects right now that can piggyback on the new rockets that will launch the NEXT satellites starting in 2015.

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This can be done within organizations or with customers, partners and communities to develop new products, teach and adapt business transformation initiatives, or even partnerships to support projects in regional, environmental and civic responsibility.

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But as new sequencing and information technologies develop, and the cost and speed of large-scale projects fall, more such international plant initiatives may well find their way on to the menu.

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