Board 33, 13 December 2011
Joint Statement from the 33rd Meeting of the STCU Governing Board
The Thirty Third (33rd) Meeting of the Governing Board of the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU) convened on 13 December 2011 in Kyiv, Ukraine, at National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytechnic Institute". Officials from the STCU Governing Parties of Canada, the European Union, Ukraine, and the United States of America participated in this meeting. Also present were government officials and other representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, the U.S. Department of State, the Embassy of the United States of America in Ukraine, the Azerbaijan National Academy of Science, and the Georgian Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation, the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova to Ukraine, and the STCU Secretariat Management.
At this 33rd meeting, the Governing Board approved five (5) new regular, government funded scientific projects for a total of $274,827 and ˆ273,618. The Governing Board also confirmed nineteen (19) new Partner Projects valued at $4,224,149 and ˆ14,998, and confirmed ten (10) Partner Project contract extensions valued at $802,181 and ˆ34,368.
The Governing Board approved seven (7) STCU-Azeri Targeted Initiative projects, totaling of $122,768 and ˆ166,192, with $344,402 in matching funds from the Azeri National Academy of Sciences and six (6) STCU-Moldovan Targeted Initiative projects, totaling $12,500 and ˆ102,726, with $149,498 in matching funds from the Moldovan Academy of Sciences.
The Governing Board approved the nomination of Michael Einik to become the fifth Executive Director of STCU. The Governing Board extended its great appreciation, congratulations, and best wishes to the STCU's outgoing Executive Director, Mr. Andrew A. Hood, for his successful leadership of STCU since August 2004.
The Governing Board also approved the re-appointment of the Principal Deputy Executive Director (Ukraine), Mr. Igor Lytvynov; the Deputy Executive Director (EU) Mr. Michel Zayet; the Deputy Executive Director (CA) Mr. Landis Henry, and the Deputy Executive Director (USA), Mr. Victor Korsun. The Governing Board also confirmed the extension of the Chief Administrative Officer, Mr. Anthony Nichol, and the Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Curtis M. Bjelajac.
The Governing Board also accepted the STCU Advisory Committee's proposed framework for transforming the STCU, and instructed the Advisory Committee and the Secretariat to work on the paper's 3 task areas for change, in accordance with the time schedule outlined on the paper.
The Governing Board also instructed the STCU Executive Director to work with the Executive Director of the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) in Moscow, on developing an assessment and work-plan for integrating certain administrative/financial functions of the two Centers, at making the Centers' practices more compatible, and for possible conduct of joint projects and other activities. Both the ISTC and STCU Executive Directors are to report on their joint progress to the Governing Boards and consultative committees during the course of 2012.
About STCU: The STCU is an intergovernmental, non-profit organization created with the goal of aiding unemployed or underemployed scientists previously working on the development of weapons of mass destruction. It was created and is governed by the 'Agreement to Establish a Science and Technology Center in Ukraine', originally signed by the governments of Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United States of America. Subsequently, Sweden was replaced by the European Union as a Governing Party; Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Uzbekistan have also acceded to the STCU Agreement. The STCU finances projects that redirect the know-how of the scientists, who were formerly involved in military programs, into peaceful sustainable civilian applications. Other than government funded projects, the STCU also works in a number of other spheres of activity: Matchmaking; Promotional Missions; Seminars and Workshops; Partnership Projects; Travel Grants; and Patent Support.
The STCU Governing Board meets on a semi-annual basis to determine the Center's policies and funding for scientific projects and supporting activities. The STCU Secretariat, located in Kyiv, Ukraine, is the main body responsible for fulfilling STCU decisions and policies on a daily basis.
The total STCU project funding to date, including funding from this 33rd STCU Governing Board Meeting, now stands at approximately $227.0 million, with the donors contributing the following amounts: Canada - $10.0 M, U.S.A.- $76.3 M, European Union - ˆ40.6 M ($50.5 M), Non-Government Partners Sector - $33.4 M, Government Partners Sector - $54.1 M and Other (Japan, Sweden) - $2.7 M.
Funding Table