ISTC Holds its 47th Governing Board Meeting in Moscow

ISTC’s Governing Board (GB) held its 47th meeting in Moscow, Russian Federation on 11 December 2008.

The Board confirmed funding for 19 new projects to a total of US $6.56 Million in Russia, Tajikistan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz Republic.

The GB recognized the success of the ISTC’s initial mission of providing economic support for the scientific community during the transition from the former Soviet Union. Further, the ISTC Governing Board members decided to transform the ISTC into a smaller, more efficient organization.

In line with ISTC’s mission to integrate Russia and other former Soviet republics in the market economy, a sustainability plan was adopted to reduce the dependence of research institutes on governmental funding and to increase their private sources of funding. The following institutes were selected:

- Institute of Physics and Power Engineering (IPPE); Obninsk, Russia

- Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP) in National Nuclear Center, Kazakhstan

- Boreskov Institute of Catalysis (BIC); Novosibirsk, Russia

- Research Institute of Pulse Technique (NIIIT)

- Institute of Immunological Engineering (IIE) in Lyubachannyi

A letter of intent for the future funding of the Sustainability Plans was signed by Funding Parties.

It is planned to submit in the upcoming sessions the following institutes to the Board for funding of their sustainability plans:

- Siberian Chemical Combine in Seversk;

- Former Pavlodar Chemical Plant (“Caustik”), Kazakhstan

- State Scientific Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology (GosNIIOKhT) and its Shikany branch (GITOS)

Innovation Initiative 152 will implement the revised Sustainability plan for the Institute for Power and Engineering named after A.I. Leypunsky (IPPE). This project with an amount of $580,000 will be used for the reconstruction of production premises of radioisotopes for medical applications to GMP certification standards. IPPE will provide $100,000 and 3 private companies will co-fund the project with for the amount of $270,000.

The GB welcomed the “Science & Technology in Support of a Counter Bio-Terrorism Targeted Initiative”. Its objectives are to generate projects developing new techniques and technologies for the rapid detection and diagnosis of a defined list of highly dangerous microorganisms; to develop projects focussing on the G8 priority to protect food supplies and to develop projects in the fields of emergency planning, reporting, first response, and epidemiological analysis.

The next Governing Board meeting will take place on 24/26 March 2009 in Moscow.

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