STCU 20th Governing Board Joint Statement

16 Jun 2005

STCU GBM 20 Joint Statement

June 16, 2005

The Twentieth Meeting of the Governing Board of the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU) convened on June 16, 2005 in Tbilisi, Georgia; the first time that Georgia has hosted the Governing Board, approving 26 new regular, government funded scientific projects for a total of $3.0 million and €1.2 million. The Governing Board also confirmed 12 new Partner Projects valued at $1.7 million, and confirmed 3 Partner Project contract extensions valued at $440,000.

The 20th Meeting of the STCU Governing Board also saw the passing of the STCU Governing Board Chairmanship from the USA under Victor Alessi; who has held this position during the past 2 years, to the Deputy Director General for Research European Commission under Zoran Stancic.

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 Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United States. Subsequently, Sweden was replaced by the European Union; Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Uzbekistan have also acceded to the 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 in order to determine the Center’s policies and funding for scientific projects. The STCU Secretariat, located in Kyiv, Ukraine, is the main body responsible for fulfilling STCU decisions and policies on a daily basis. The 20th Governing Board meeting took place in Tbilisi; which is the first time the Board has ever met in Georgia.

Until May 2005, the donor countries had committed to projects the following funds: Canada - $3.1m, U.S.A. - $65.9m, European Union - $19.7m, Private Partners Sector - $10.6, Government Partners Sector - $17.0m and Other (Japan, CERN) - $1.0m for a total of $117.3.

The total funding to date including all 20 Governing Boards stands at approximately $123.8 million USD

On March 18, 1998, the Government of Georgia acceded to the STCU Agreement; and the STCU Information Office opened in Tbilisi on May 23, 2001. Prior to the 20th Governing Board Meeting, there were 33 projects funded in Georgia. The total amount of funding for all Georgian projects up to this date was $2.3 million and €414 thousand. The 20th Governing Board meeting in Tbilisi approved 4 new projects totaling $291 thousand and €80 thousand for organizations in Georgia.

This brings the total activity in Georgia to date to the following.