ISTC and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Future Cooperation

The ISTC and the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus signed on 15 October an agreement that establishes an increase in cooperation between both organizations.
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding formalizes the intention of both organizations to improve the effectiveness of international science cooperation with Belarus. ISTC and the National Academy of Sciences will also work to increase commercialization of research and development efforts and enhance the integration of Belarussian scientists into the global scientific community.
ISTC Executive Director, Adriaan van der Meer, commented: “This Memorandum of Understanding confirms ISTC’s longstanding commitment to working with the scientists and Institutes in Belarus and to promoting the contribution they make to international and peaceful science development.”
Mr. van der Meer continued: “ISTC has helped to fund more than 82 science projects with over 18 million dollars of support in Belarus since our inception and I look forward to seeing the commercialization of some of the results of these and future projects”.
ISTC Executive Director, Adriaan van der Meer, and Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Mikhail Vladimirovich Myasnikovich signed the agreement in Minsk on 15 October 2008.
ISTC Executive Director, Adriaan van der Meer(left) and Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Mikhail Vladimirovich Myasnikovich
Notes to Editors
1. The International Science and Technology Center (ISTC)
ISTC, based in Moscow, is an intergovernmental and non-profit organization that finds practical ways to redirect the creativity and intellectual capabilities of former weapons scientists in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) towards meeting the technological and R&D demands of international business and industry. ISTC seeks to create long-term, sustainable employment opportunities for scientists and technical researchers within Russia and the CIS.
ISTC has played major role in the nonproliferation of weapon of mass destruction in Russia and the CIS since its establishment by International Agreement in 1992.
2. The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB)
NASB is the highest state scientific organization of the Republic of Belarus.NAS of Belarus is reported to the President of the Republic of Belarus, accountable to the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus and carries out organization, realization and coordination of fundamental and applied scientific research and developments in the main directions of natural, engineering, social sciences, the humanities and arts with the purposes of scientific maintenance of economic, social and cultural development of the Republic of Belarus, and also carries out, accordingly to the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On the National Academy of Science of Belarus” and the Statute of the National Academy of Science of Belarus, some functions of a republican body of state management in the field of science. Accordingly to the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus NASB is the main governmental body in the field of cooperation with ISTC.
3. Media Contact:
For full information on the ISTC and the organizations work, contact:
English language media: Steve Bourne: +7 (495) 982 3141 / email: bourne@istc.ru
Russian language media: Anna Filchenko: +7 (495) 982 3219 / email: filchenko@istc.ru
The International Science and Technology Center
Krasnoproletarskaya ul. 32-34,
P.O. Box 20, 127473 Moscow,
Russian Federation
Tel: +7 (495) 982-3200
Fax: +7 (499) 978-0110
www.istc.ru
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Welcome Address
Adriaan van der Meer
Executive Director
International Science and Technology Center, Moscow
on the Occasion of the
International Seminar
“ISTC Activity and Sustainability of Scientific Organizations”
National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Minsk, 16 October 2008
Dear Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Introduction
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this International Seminar “ISTC Activity and Sustainability of Scientific Organizations”.
Indeed, I consider it a privilege to welcome so many key scientific and technical experts who are participating in today’s event.
I am pleased to note that Belarus has been an active member of ISTC, with participation in all of our various programs. These programs will be outlined to you shortly by my colleagues, but today’s seminar is really about how to get the research results out of the research institutes and into the marketplace. That is why I signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ yesterday with the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus; to reinforce and to define the direction of our future cooperation.
ISTC
ISTC has been in existence for almost 15 years and works at the crossroads between international non-proliferation policy and international scientific cooperation. ISTC has helped the implementation of policies and projects in the nuclear and non-nuclear energy sectors, as well as in health, environment, physics, chemistry and many other scientific areas.
Our main activity is to fund research projects and seek to bring private partners or commercial companies and government agencies into contact with the high-level expertise available in Belarus.
To date, in Belarus, ISTC has funded 82 science projects, covering the areas of:
Medicine
Optics and Lasers
Nuclear physics
Biology, and Chemistry
The total amount of funding for these projects is around 18 millions USD, and more than 30 Institutes have been involved in this work. These projects did contribute to real scientific cooperation and interaction on a broad international scale. Sound scientific advice offered by international collaborators on each project, peer reviews and monitoring mechanisms guarantee that these and other projects fulfill their intended objectives.
Conclusion
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The world is developing fast, as is the spread and dissemination of scientific knowledge. International scientific cooperation is crucial if we wish to continue the pace of peaceful scientific advancement and to bring an international consensus on how we use the knowledge and the technologies we have gained.
I am proud to say that ISTC has contributed to the increase of scientific know-how, and in particular has assisted in the realization of the national research priorities of Belarus.
But, it is important that the research remains relevant. That is why ISTC wants to orientate our work on global issues, such as contributing to research that can counteract climate change and environmental hazards, to develop alternative energy sources, to develop new vaccines and medicines.
All of this vital research is taking place today in Belarus and I sincerely expect that the Memorandum of Understanding that I signed yesterday with the President of the Academy of Sciences will assist the scientists of Belarus to bring their work to commercial and a broader international recognition.
By organizing seminars such as the one we attend today, we hope to stimulate and to encourage international cooperation, and to foster scientific collaboration across national borders.
Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you all again to this Seminar.
I wish you a very fruitful exchange of views,
I thank you for your attention.