Cambridge Biostability, with support from Britain's Department for International Development and the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health, an American not-for-profit group, is working on a sugar-glass version of a combined shot against five nasty childhood diseases, including diphtheria and meningitis.

ECONOMIST: Vaccines

Thanks to a rural development grant under the European-funded Leader programme and technical assistance from the Department of Agriculture, he set about installing a wind machine in his most vulnerable orchard.

BBC: Graham Hewitt and his wind machine

The United Nations Youth Programme , located in the Division for Social Policy and Development of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), is the focal point within the United Nations system on matters related to young people.

UNESCO: Social and Human Sciences

In a separate development in the UK, the Department for Business has a "midata" programme, which encourages various banks and energy companies to release data about a customer's consumption if it is requested.

BBC: How technology opens the door for personalised pricing