Italy and Estonia pledge scientific collaboration
A cultural, educational, scientific and technological cooperation agreement between Italy and Estonia was signed for the first time on 5 January. In force until 2008, the agreement provides for researcher exchanges, sharing of scientific information and documentation, collaborative projects, cooperation between institutions and organisation of joint events. As part of the agreement, nine joint projects have been selected for funding. For each project, one short term or long term stay will be financed annually. The projects address a wide range of scientific challenges, including: methodologies for enhancing the reliability of digital systems; posture and movement in children with cerebral palsy; econophysics models for chaotic and complex social-economic systems; and the impact of climate change on agricultural forest ecosystems. Italy and Estonia will also encourage the design of joint research projects that may receive funding from EU or other international programmes. In the field of higher education, the parties shall exchange three university lecturers and/or researchers every year, who will spend ten days in the other country in order to establish contacts and identify research fields of common interest. The visits will also be aimed at initiating cooperation between universities and education institutions in the two countries. Both Estonia and Italy also pledged to encourage contacts between the Permanent Conference of Italian University Rectors and its Estonian counterparts. In order to ensure collaboration in relation to archives, libraries and publishing, the two countries will exchange an archivist every year with the task of gathering information on the organisation of the other party's archives.
Countries
Estonia, Italy