Board 30, 27 May 2010
Joint Statement from the 3Oth Meeting of the STCU Governing Board
The Thirtieth (30th) Meeting of the Governing Board of the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU) convened on 27 May 2010 at the Georgian Technical University in Tbilisi, Georgia. The Governing Board representatives from the governments of Canada, the European Union, Ukraine, and the United States of America, were joined by the STCU executive management team, by local diplomatic representatives from Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and Georgian officials.
At this meeting, the STCU Governing Board approved 12 new regular science cooperation projects (including continuations), for a total of $384,586 USD plus 1,114,987 euros. In addition, the Board approved 24 new Partner Projects for a total of $4,598,890 USD and 374,238 euros, and 15 Partner Project extensions for a total of $1,002,994 plus 33,741 euros.
The Governing Board approved 12 projects under the joint STCU-Ukraine Targeted R&D Initiatives program, with $587,995 USD in project financing from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, matched by $358,088 USD and 183,923 euros from STCU. Also, the Board approved 11 projects under the joint STCU-Georgian Targeted R&D Initiatives program, with $381,509 USD in project financing from the Georgian National Science Foundation, matched by $255,872 USD plus 100,512 euros from STCU.
With these project approvals, the STCU has now exceeded $200 million USD in total project funding, a significant milestone in the 15 years of STCU operations and for the thousands of Ukrainian, Azeri, Georgian, Moldovan, and Uzbek scientists that have participated in these multinational, collaborative science projects.
The Governing Board also took various policy and administrative decisions, such as approving the one-year extension of Mr. Michel Zayet as STCU Deputy Executive Director (EU). The Board also took note of the continuing preparations by the Secretariat for the official 15th Anniversary celebratory event, to coincide with the next Governing Board meeting in November 2010.
The 30th STCU Governing Board meeting is the second time that the STCU Governing Board has met in Georgia; the first time being on 16 June 2005 for the Twentieth (20th) STCU Governing Board Meeting. On 18 March 1998, the Government of Georgia officially acceded to the STCU Agreement and became a Recipient Party member of STCU. The STCU Information Office was officially opened in Tbilisi on 23 May 2001. Prior to this 30th Governing Board Meeting, the total amount of STCU activity in Georgia is as follows:
- Number of Approved STCU Projects: 97 Projects
- Total Project Funds Approved: $5,379,592 USD and ˆ2,308,346. Total funding in USD and USD equivalent is equal to $8,285,569.
- Total Number of Georgian Scientists that have benefited from STCU projects: 829 scientists
About STCU: The STCU is an intergovernmental, non-profit organization created with the goal of aiding unemployed or underemployed scientists who previously worked on the development of weapons of mass destruction. STCU was created (and is governed) by the 'Agreement to Establish a Science and Technology Center in Ukraine', originally signed on 25 October 1993 by the governments of Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United States of America. This Agreement went into effect in 1994. Subsequently, Sweden was replaced by the European Union as a Governing Party; Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Uzbekistan have also acceded to the STCU Agreement.
The STCU finances projects and supporting programs that redirect the know-how of the scientists, who were formerly involved in military programs, into peaceful sustainable civilian applications. Other than government funded projects, the STCU also manages direct R&D projects sponsored by non-governmental Partners and works in a number of other spheres of activity: Commercial Matchmaking; Promotional Missions; Seminars and Workshops; Assistance in Commercializing Scientific Results; and IPR and Patent Support.
The STCU Governing Board first met in December 1995, and meets on a semi-annual basis to determine the Center's policies and funding for scientific projects and supporting activities. The STCU Secretariat, located in Kyiv, Ukraine, is the main body responsible for fulfilling STCU decisions and policies on a daily basis. The STCU also has field offices within Ukraine, and in the capitals of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Uzbekistan.
Funding Table