What is a Partner?


A Partner is a person, company, foundation, academic and scientific institution, department, or other organization from one of the parties to the ISTC, which agrees to fund a research project to be implemented by ISTC in Russia or the CIS, and whom the ISTC Governing Board approves.

What are the benefits of becoming a partner of the ISTC?

A partner has access to conducting research in Russia and other CIS countries. Research of this kind is carried out by former weapon scientists and presently highly-qualified experts in different fields of science and technology. Rates are lower than worldwide. In this way the issue of shortage of funds for R&D developments can be solved. By agreement with an executor, a partner can obtain all the rights or a major part of rights for the intellectual property, created during the R&D implementation. It enables to use it for commercial purposes. Moreover working through the ISTC a partner gets a range of advantages, such as control of project group activities, access to the place of work and tax benefits.
In particular Partner Program provides the following benefits:

Control over expenses: There are no charges for bureaucratic structures or agents. Payments are not being taxed and are made direct to scientists and researchers, who directly participate in project implementation and only for the actual hours worked.

Lack of duties: Custom duties are not imposed on the goods, imported in the framework of ISTC projects, and custom procedures are often being simplified.

Control over the created Intellectual property: Issues of protection and distribution of intellectual property rights, created as a result of the ISTC project, are regulated by the trilateral project agreement, signed by Partner, Institute-developer and the ISTC. Partner and developer agree upon the intellectual property rights. ISTC’s role in distribution of intellectual property rights involves control to provide fair and reasonable conditions for all the project participants. As Partner pays the project expenses, he or she usually can expect receiving intellectual property rights in full, or on conditions of issuing a limited license for the benefit of Institute-developer.

Project monitoring: ISTC staff provides general supervision of project implementation and assists the Partner in each stage to ensure timely and appropriate accomplishment of works. Full transparency of financial operations, control over expenses and audit – all these activities ensure full correspondence with the global standards of financial reporting.

Support of business trips and logistics: ISTC staff provides the necessary assistance in creating contacts, conducting talks, visiting territories of project implementation, organizing meetings with participants of research groups, as well as control of their work.

Search of promising partners: ISTC staff will help the Partner to define which of hundreds of institutes and thousands of scientists from Russia and CIS will solve in the best way science and technology tasks, introduced by the partner. For these purposes the ISTC has created a comprehensive database.
Without a direct Partner’s consent the project information can not be submitted to any other party and can not become public, because the ISTC ensures strict confidentiality.

Business Solutions
ISTC can help moderate the cost of Research & Development with our experienced team, building viable economic alternatives for Russian and CIS experts and engineers

How to Become a Partner
To apply for partnership, submit a letter (Partner Sample Letters) with the following information on your company/organization letterhead:
1. Company/organization full contact details
2. Brief summary of your company/organization and related activities
3. Statement of acceptance of ISTC’s non-proliferation objectives
The ISTC Secretariat will consult with the Party where the company is located. After the nomination letter from the corresponding Party is received, the ISTC secretariat will forward the application letter to other ISTC Governing Board members for 30-calendar day consideration. If there are no objections raised by the members of the Governing Board, a Partner is considered approved and can begin to participate in ISTC activities.
Furthermore, during that period, a potential partner can still utilize the Technology Search Service as described in our Partner Package and start working with ISTC.

Rules & Regulations
The ISTC Governing Board reviews and approves partner-funded projects.  ISTC Partners should submit a statement that they have read and accepted the Principles for Partner Participation in ISTC activities to the ISTC.  This is an essential step to assure the Parties that Partners understand the objectives of the Center and are committed to conduct projects consistent with those objectives.