[spectre] NATO Science Programme Changes Course

[geert lovink]

From: NATO Integrated Data Service
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 5:50 PM
Subject: NATO Science Programme Changes Course - 13 November 2003

NATO Science Programme Changes Course

New Priority Research Topics and Support Criteria

A new concept for NATO support of civil science has been agreed by the North
Atlantic Council following proposals put forward by the NATO Science
Committee at its meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine in June.

To emphasise the new direction the programme will take, a new name was also
chosen; the programme will in future be known as the NATO Programme for
Security Through Science.

The new name reflects more closely the aims and purposes of the revised
programme.  Support will now be offered only for collaboration on
security-related Priority Research Topics, which follow the new directions
and objectives of the Alliance.  The Priority Research Topics are in the
following areas: 1)  Defence Against Terrorism and 2)  Countering Other
Threats to Security

This applies not only to the traditional collaborative support mechanisms of
Collaborative Linkage Grants, Expert Visits, Advanced Study Institutes and
Advanced Research Workshops, but also to Science for Peace projects.

Mediterranean Dialogue countries will now for the first time be eligible for
support under Science for Peace.

Topics dealing with Technology Transfer to Address Partner Country
Priorities will also be considered for support, and applications in such
topics will be particularly encouraged if they also fall within the
above-mentioned NATO Priority Research Topics.

A feature of the new programme is a move away from bringing scientists
together primarily to foster partnerships and build a new extended
scientific community, which was an imperative of the 1990s. In a world
changed by the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the programme will
now bring scientists together to work on solving problems associated with
challenging new security issues of concern to NATO, Partner and
Mediterranean Dialogue countries.

In 2004, there will be no change to the principle that support is offered
for collaboration between scientists in NATO-countries and those in Partner
or Mediterranean Dialogue countries.  Special arrangements will continue to
be in place for new NATO member countries. The peer review of applications
will still apply, and Advisory Panels of specialists drawn from the
scientific community will evaluate applications.  As already noted, however,
support will no longer be available for all areas of science.  Only
applications in Priority Research Topics in Defence Against Terrorism, or
Countering Other Threats to Security, and/or in priority areas identified by
Partner countries, will be considered for support.

Application forms have been revised, and new application deadlines have been
introduced. The NATO science web pages have been redesigned for the new
Security Through Science Programme, and may be accessed at:

http://www.nato.int/science

We should be happy receive feedback on the new website.  Questions or
suggestions may be sent to natodoc at hq.nato.int