The UK Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts MP, delivered the keynote address at an event held in London, and supported by ISTC, that brought together experts from 5 of the most prestigious space research Institutes in Russia with their peers in the UK. Three days of joint presentations and working meetings culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between University College London (UCL), ISTC and the Russian Space Research Institutes taking part in the event. 

Both the UK Minister and the Head of the Trade Delegation of the Russian Federation in the UK, Mr Victor Spasskiy, recognised the contributions of the co-organisers of the event, ISTC and UCL, as well as their crucial role in developing future cooperation in space research given the priority that both the UK and the Russian Federation places in this area. 

The Minister noted: “It's particularly right that this cooperation in science between Russia and the UK should be having this conference here, because there is a shared history: the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, founded in 1953, is an important part of UCL, and indeed led to the launch in 1957 of the UK Skylark in exactly the same year as Russia launched Sputnik. 
“Although the UK space programme has not got the level of prominent achievements as the Russian space programme, nevertheless we do have a very significant space industry here in the UK – a very significant commercial sector, and a very strong research and academic sector.” 
The Memorandum of Understanding, signed at the closing of the three day event, identifies 6 specific project areas for development, notably in relation to space medicine research, and all signatories to the MOU will continue discussion with a possible follow up event to take place in the UK or Russia in the Autumn. Developments hope to be reported at the 2010 UK-Russia Science and Technology bilateral meeting, also planned for the Autumn period. 

The Russian Institutes represented at the London event were: 
The Institute of Biomedical Problems 
The Russian State Research Center for Robotics and Technical Cybernetics 
The R&D Institute for Robotics and Technical Cybernetics 
The Institute of Physics of the Earth 


Details of the MOU jointly signed by ISTC, UCL and the 4 Russian Institutes are available from ISTC. 

ISTC Introductory Speech at the Space Seminar

Victor Spasskiy, Head of Russian Trade Delegation in the UK; Dr David Parker, UK Space Agency and Rt. Hon David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science

Group shot after signing of MoU of Russian Scientists with Prof. Steve Caddick, Prof. Alan Smith
Dr Vtaly Chmyrev, Institute of Physics of the Earth; Dr Boris Spasskiy, Russian State Research Centre for Robotics and Technical Cybernetics; Prof. Alan Smith, UCL Director of MSSL; Prof. Steve Caddick, UCL Vice-Provost (Enterprise); Dr Vadim Gushin, Institute of Biomedical Problems; Dr Igor Ushakov, Academician & Director of Institute of Biomedical Problems; Vladimir Zaborovsky, Institute for Robotics & Technical Cybernetics; Dr Tatiana Ryzhova, Senior Project Manager ISTC; Steve Bourne, Communication and External Relations Division Manager, ISTC

Further information on the ISTC and UCL event are available at: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1007/10070202