Report outlines bilateral assistance to Slovakia during 2003
A report published by the Slovak government reveals how science and technology, as well as other spheres, benefited from bilateral assistance from European countries during 2003. Belgium, and in particular its Walloon Region and French-speaking community, was the biggest contributor to the development of science in Slovakia. Support from the Walloon Region was used to support a number of science and technology projects, as well as cooperation between universities, research institutes and other scientific institutions. Exchange programmes for researchers were also funded through this bilateral assistance. Other projects financed by Belgium focused on subjects such as pharmacology for arteriosclerosis, vector space and fuzzy sets, proteomic analysis of tumour cells, metallurgical technologies, clay nanocomposites and the genetic transformation of pine. Bilateral assistance from the EU Member States to the EU's then candidate countries was defined as 'pre-accession assistance'. Assistance programmes were designed for various time periods, usually for five or ten years, depending on the donor country. Technical assistance received by Slovakia and other countries was a combination of technical assistance and investment support focusing on adapting to meet EU requirements in all sectors. Now that Slovakia is a member of the EU, assistance will come from the EU budget, and in particular from the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund. According to the Slovakian report, some countries will, however, continue to offer support bilaterally.
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Slovakia