Welcome Address
by
Adriaan van der Meer
International Science and Technology Centre, Moscow
at the occasion of the 
INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS' MEETING
“Discussion on the experience and legal issues of the ISTC work on the RF territory”
22 January 2009
Moscow, State Duma RF

Dear Mr. Co- Chairman, Honorable Members of Parliament, Ladies and Gentlemen, 
Introduction
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the International Expert Meeting on “Discussion on the experience and legal issues of the ISTC work on the RF territory”. Indeed, I consider it a privilege to welcome so many authorities and experts from Russian Federation involved in theses activities.
It is for ISTC a great honor to discuss some of its achievements with Russian state and legal authorities, to make our work more efficient and transparent. This is the fifth expert meeting of ISTC at the Duma co-organized with the Parliament Centre. The previous were devoted to intellectual property rights protection, alternative sources of energy, environmental protection and medicine. We are planning another three meetings this year.
The program for this meeting covers a wide-ranging set of issues devoted to presenting of the previous ISTC activities to community and getting feed-back from you on the previous events and our work. 
I would like to thank the Parliament Centre for co-organizing this important meeting with us.
ISTC
The International Science and Technology Center is an international organization, created to serve the goal of improving security and international scientific cooperation. The European Union, Japan, the Russian Federation and the United States of America started work on the basis of a multinational agreement established in 1992. 

Consequently, ISTC started its work in 1994 based on the Decree of the President of Russian Federation and since then ISTC has funded and managed more than 2650 projects with a total value of 816 million USD. 
ISTC has today 39 member states, and offers a wide spectrum of programs, services and activities. The ISTC Secretariat has about 150 staff members, among which there are researchers, commercialization specialists, financial experts and administrative staff. 
Mr. Co-Chairman, Honorable members of Parliament, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Currently the ISTC funds projects in a wide range of scientific disciplines and technology areas. Future strategic priorities of ISTC are those that make the world safer and more secure – environment, renewable and environmental friendly energy, nuclear safety and human health are at the first place. Protection of the intellectual property developed within the project implementation is a critically important issue for innovation and further sustainable graduation of targeted institutes. 
The ISTC established strategic partnership with Russian innovation foundations and organizations, Russian governmental organizations and agencies, business schools, legal companies, foundations and investors that work for further strengthening the diversity of the Russian economy. Obviously ISTC in its work takes very much into account the research and innovation priorities of the Russian Federation as put down in its various programs
The purpose of today’s meeting is to make you more acquainted with main ISTC activities. ISTC is now developing new programs for future implementation. I really would appreciate Your opinion to enable us to develop new directions in our activities.. 
I would like to wish you all a fruitful discussion,
I kindly thank you for your attention, 

Adriaan van der Meer,
Executive Director

On the picture: ISTC Executive Director, Adriaan van der Meer, signing the resolution