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4 Interests of the International Science and Technology Center Norbert Jousten, International Science and Technology Center I am glad to welcome participants to this international workshop. It is a pleasure to see such representative groups of scientists from the United States and Russia, and also specialists from Belarus. The International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) was created in 1992 to ⢠provide former weapons scientists in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries the opportunity to redirect their knowledge and skills to peaceful activities; ⢠support basic and applied research and technology development; ⢠contribute to the transition to market-based economies; ⢠foster the integration of former weapons scientists and engineers from Russia and CIS countries into the global scientific community; and ⢠contribute to solving national and international technical problems. The geographical footprint of ISTC membership has expanded greatly. While the original members were limited to the Russian Federation, the European Union, Japan, and the United States, today nearly 40 countries participate in ISTC activities. The ISTC coordinates the efforts of numerous governments, in- ternational organizations, and private sector industry, providing former weapons
INTERESTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER scientists from Russia and the CIS new opportunities for international partner- ships. Through its political, legal, and financial frameworks, the ISTC contributes to fundamental research, international nonproliferation programs, and innovation and commercialization by linking the demands of international markets with the exceptional pool of scientific talent available in Russian and CIS institutes. The topic of this workshop falls within one of the most important technol- ogy areas of interest to the ISTC, the environment. About 16 percent of ISTC funding of more than $750 million has been devoted to this area, with a number of projects of direct relevance to this workshop. The most important results of these relevant projects relate to creation of radiological databases, as they are foundations for rehabilitation of sites con- taminated with radioactive materials. The following databases were created: conditions in the territory of the former USSR (in the frameworks of ISTC proj- ects 245, 245-2B, 245-2C, 2097), in the seas surrounding the territory of Russia (projects 101, 101-2, 101-3), in the Tobol and Irtysh rivers (near the Mayak Production Association, project 2558), and at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan (projects K-414, K-414-2, K-1125). Let me wish the participants success in this workshop that is important not only for Russia and the United States but also for other countries faced with the problem of cleaning up sites contaminated with radioactive materials.
