January meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials for Scientific and Technical Research (COST)
The COST Committee of Senior Officials for Scientific and Technical Research held its 117th meeting in Brussels on 26 and 27 January 1995. COST is currently coordinating part of the national research of 25 Member States (the 15 Member States of the European Union, and Croatia, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Turkey). This research is mainly oriented towards applications, and 115 actions are currently in progress. The Committee heard a report on research into neurosciences. The Committee thought that this should be dealt with in the COST framework to determine how the report could be transposed into COST actions. The Committee will determine the priority actions to be undertaken at its next meeting. In the context of COST decisions to authorize R&D institutes in non-COST countries to participate in individual actions, the Committee approved the participation of Malta's public telecommunications network, Telemalta, in Action 219. The Committee approved the extension of actions in the following fields: - Variability in the kinetics and effects of drugs (3rd round); - Advanced materials for temperatures above 1,500 C: development of testing methods; - Implementation of a European research project to create a databank for light alloy design; - Interaction of microbial systems with industrial materials; - Semi-rigid behaviour of civil engineering structural connections (2nd round); - Wastewater operation and control wastewater treatment plants. The Committee agreed in principle to seven new draft actions: - Quality multimedia clinical records; - Cleaner metals for industrial exploitation; - Modification of glass surfaces; - Urban heritage: building maintenance, subject to corrections to be made to the present text; - Models for traffic and safety developments and interventions; - Molecular materials and functional polymers for advanced devices; - Mammary gland biology. In view of the work schedule for Activity 2 (international cooperation) of the Fourth RTD Framework Programme, the Committee decided to begin an assessment, with the Commission's assistance, of all the methods and procedures used in the COST framework. The Committee also asked the Commission to prepare as soon as possible: - A database accessible to all research workers in Europe; - A newsletter. The Committee's next meeting will be held on 11 and 12 April 1995 in Brussels.