We have received more than 40 applications for association with our network in connection with the PECO program. The following considerations have been made in selecting three groups.
1- to increase the efficiency of the network by selecting world leading laboratories whose skills and expertise are complementary to those already present.
2- To help these laboratories to continue their activities at an international level.
The first group we propose for association is the Institute of Applied Physics, Nizhny Novgorod (Russia). This is the world leading laboratory in submillimetre wave spectroscopy in the frequency range 500 - 1000 GHz. This will extend the frequency range of the submillimetre wave spectrometers of the network and thus close up the gap with our far infrared laser microwave sideband spectrometers. In addition the group can contribute expertise on line shape and pressure broadening measurements which are of atmospheric importance. The second group, Department of Theoretical Chemistry, university of Poznan is a leading group in the theory of flexible molecules and they will be able to contribute valuable expertise to the analysis of the spectra of molecules such as N20S, ring molecules and Van der waals complexes. The third group (which is the association of the Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistr in Prague and the Department of Physical Chemistry of the faculty of Pharmacy i Bratislava) are specialists in the theory of vibration-rotation interactions. Their expertise will be very useful for analysing the spectra of many of the molecules to be studied. Their interaction with the ab initio theoreticians in the network will be of importance in developing methods for the prediction o rotation-vibration spectra. The integration of these groups should be easy because they are already collaborating with several laboratories of the network.