Statement of the 25th Governing Board

The Governing Board of the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) held its 25th meeting at the ISTC Headquarters in Moscow. Representatives from all 11 ISTC Parties attended with the European Union, Japan, Russian Federation, United States of America, and Georgia represented on the Governing Board.

Following the terrorist events of 11 September in the United States, the ISTC Parties affirmed their commitments to the nonproliferation and security goals of the Center.

The ISTC approved 76 new projects representing over $16.5 million and Euro 7.3 million in new funding for activities in Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakstan, and the Kyrgyz Republic. New funding was provided by the EU, USA, Japan, Republic of Korea, and Norway. These projects highlight important areas of science and technology research and development: anthrax and tuberculosis vaccines; nuclear waste containment; magnetic resonance techniques for drug development; solar cell materials and efficient energy transport; environmental impact of sea-buried reactor fuels; digital processing of biomedical signals; design structures resistant to earthquakes.

The Board announced that 65 Partner projects totaling $18.2 million have been approved since the 24th meeting, and noted the expanding participation of Partners in ISTC activities. ISTC Partners are intergovernmental, governmental, and non-governmental organizations (including the private sector) that provide funds to engage CIS scientists in peaceful research projects. Total ISTC project funding in all categories now surpasses US$388 million for 1,434 projects.

The Governing Board approved the Fiscal Year 2002 activity plan and budget for the Center, including adequate personnel and financial resources to accommodate the project activity and programs projected into next year. The Board agreed to a burden sharing scheme among the Funding Parties, for activities undertaken by the Parties under Article 14 of the ISTC Agreement.

In a special session devoted to the ISTC present structure, the Board discussed measures to improve ISTC’s efficiency. The Governing Board instructed the ISTC Coordination Executive Committee to develop, with the Executive Director, the reorganization of the Secretariat. Further, the Governing Board praised the Center management internal analysis aimed at improving science project workflow, and approved the delegation of workflow tasks to the Center executive staff.

The Governing Board noted with gratitude the continuing invitation of the Kyrgyz Republic to host a future meeting, and agreed to convene its 26th Plenary Session meeting in the Kyrgyz Republic during the week beginning 08 April 2002.

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