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Main - - Cooperation - Scientific and technical cooperation of Belarus and the European Union - Mechanisms of EU-Belarus cooperation development - The International Science And Technology Center (ISTC) Creation of ISTC   In difficult for the CIS 90-ies of XX century, a period of radical reorganization of mechanisms of economic management and the economic crisis, there were dramatic changes in the priorities for science and technology, whole areas and research programs shut down. Hundreds and thousands of highly qualified scientists and defence experts of the CIS appeared unclaimed. The threat of spread of knowledge about weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery has become very topical. In order to prevent possible catastrophic consequences, economically developed countries of the world decided to support the former "gunsmiths" of CIS countries; the governments of former Soviet republics, in their turn, also actively supported the initiative. On November27, 1992 the European Union, the Russian Federation, the United States and Japan signed an agreement establishing the International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC) - an intergovernmental organization that develops, approves, finances and supervises the scientific and technological projects aimed at the use of scientific research for peaceful purposes, which are implemented in the CIS countries, mainly specialists, formerly associated with the development and manufacture of weapons (entered into force on March 2, 1994). In accordance with the Charter of the organization, the objectives of the ISTC are to provide the scientists and specialists of the CIS with the possibilities to redirect their capacity to peaceful activities; the contributing to the solution of national and international technical problems; the support of the basic and applied research, among other things in the environmental protection, energy production and security in the nuclear industry; the support of the transition to a market economy; the promotion of integration the scientists associated with the military-industrial complex of CIS into global scientific community. The governing body of the ISTC is the Governing Council, the executive body is the Secretariat, headed by the Executive Director. ISTC Headquarters is in Moscow. During the time that has elapsed since the founding of the ISTC, the agreement establishing it has been joined by Sweden, Finland (later included in the European Union), Norway, Canada, Korea, Japan and CIS countries - Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The permanent members of the Governing Council are Canada, the European Union, Japan, the Russian Federation and the United States. The Governing Council also has one of the CIS countries (except Russia entering into it on an ongoing basis) on an annual rotating basis. To solve problems similar to those raised by the ISTC, the Ukrainian Science and Technology Centre, established in accordance with the Agreement signed on October,25 1993 by the United States, Canada, Sweden and Ukraine, works in Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Uzbekistan. The Republic of Belarus acceded to the ISTC Agreement in 1994 (the Decree of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus of October 17, 1994 № 3346-XII), in 1996 ISTC opened its representative office in Belarus - the Belarusian regional department of the ISTC, an agreement about the conditions of stay and the operation which was signed by the Government of the Republic of Belarus and ratified by both chambers of the National Assembly of Belarus. Since the beginning of its activity till August,2009 ISTC had provided funding for the implementation of 2,600 projects worth more than $ 800 million to the organizations from CIS countries.     Site Search: check any of the words check every word © National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 2011