ECU 21 million for East-West joint research projects
The general assembly of INTAS, the International Association for the Promotion of Cooperation with Scientists in the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, has decided to support 459 joint research and networking projects. They involve 1,400 laboratories in the new independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union and 1,600 laboratories in Western Europe. The total budget available for the selected projects is about ECU 21 million. Most of the funds will be given to the NIS partner. In a previous decision by INTAS, another 560 projects received support. By the end of this year, INTAS will have committed over ECU 50 million to more than 1,000 collaborative projects between highly qualified scientists in the NIS and Western Europe in all the exact and natural sciences, economics, and social and human sciences. The selected projects concern the following: - Physics, astronomy, and astrophysics (23%); - Engineering sciences, aeronautics, and space (15%); - Chemistry (9%); - Economics, and social and human sciences (9%); - Mathematics, information technologies and telecommunications (8%). The Russian Federation has the highest representation amongst the participants from the NIS, followed by Ukraine and Belarus. INTAS was founded in June 1993 as a non-profit international association by the European Union and its 12 Member States. INTAS is open to the participation of any country, or national and international organization.