CRDF

. . . is a nonprofit charitable foundation authorized by the U.S. Congress, and established by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 1995. It is a unique public-private partnership that promotes scientific and technological collaboration between the United States and the countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU). The CRDF assists defense-oriented researchers in the FSU to transfer their skills and experience to civilian science. The CRDF's targeted industrial programs help to move applied research to the marketplace and bring economic benefits both to the FSU and to the United States.

   The Foundation is headed by a Board of Directors with extensive university, government, and industry experience. It is incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia with headquarters in Arlington.

CRDF

. . . receives contributions from a varied and dynamic group of public and private donors. The CRDF began its operations in 1995 with $10 million in start-up funds from the Department of Defense and from a contribution by philanthropist George Soros donated through the NSF. By the end of 1997, funds had increased to nearly $26.4 million through subsequent contributions from federal agencies, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, American industry, and FSU government cost-share commitments.

CRDF

. . . has established innovative, successful programs in its first years of operation. The CRDF Cooperative Grants Program is funding research by nearly 300 joint teams of U.S./FSU investigators who are working across a broad spectrum of basic and applied scientific fields. Those collaborative projects have already resulted in hundreds of publications and hundreds of presentations at international conferences.

   Through its Regional Experimental Support Centers (RESC) Program to boost regional economic development in the FSU, the Foundation has placed major research equipment in six leading laboratories where it is available to both academic and industrial users.

   The Travel Grant Program has enabled some 200 FSU scientists to present their research results at international meetings and to make contact with American colleagues in their fields and explore new industry-oriented collaborations.

   The experimental Next Steps to the Market Program funds joint efforts by FSU investigators and American companies to bring research results closer to commercialization.

   The Closed Cities Program helps FSU defense scientists and engineers at sensitive nuclear weapons facilities such as Sarov and Snezhinsk establish new ties with prospective industrial clients. The program supports projects that integrate scientists previously involved in research on weapons of mass destruction into civilian R&D.

CRDF

. . . has helped some two thousand individual FSU scientists and engineers. During the continuing economic crisis in the FSU, CRDF programs have provided critical assistance to needy scientific communities in those countries.

   More than five years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, FSU government budgets for science have remained so low that subsistence-level salaries are not always paid, and funds for equipment, supplies, and even for electricity and heating are very scarce. In those difficult circumstances, CRDF awards have kept talented researchers working in science and have enabled them to do that work in their own countries rather than emigrating to find jobs in foreign laboratories. With funds from CRDF grants, scientists can follow promising research paths using state-of-the-art equipment, can purchase computers to improve their output and give them access to the Internet, and can attend international scientific meetings to present their research results. The awards allow young investigators and post-doctoral students to participate in research projects and encourage them to pursue careers in science and engineering.

   The beneficial impact of CRDF programs on the research communities of partner countries goes beyond financial assistance. The structure and operation of the programs — open grant competitions, impartial peer review of proposals, merit-based awards — nurture the evolution of the scientific culture from the Soviet planning and support system toward Western standards and practices.

   The Foundation's programs promote economic development within a free-market model. They provide a basis for new entrepreneurial activity and offer possibilities for mutually beneficial U.S./FSU business partnerships.

CRDF

. . . assists U.S. Government agencies and private organizations to develop specialized activities in the FSU. The CRDF operates under a governmental charter but has the responsiveness and adaptability of a small private foundation. It is able to act quickly and effectively in designing and implementing new programs that meet client needs.

   Several government agencies have called upon the services of the CRDF to assist with their diverse programs and activities in the FSU. For example, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) asked the CRDF to plan and develop a new program, Collaborations in Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences. In response, the CRDF set up a grant competition, managed the proposal review process, made over 40 awards, and is currently monitoring the progress of on-going research.

   The CRDF has assisted other U.S. agencies with a variety of projects that serve their missions: refurbishing a Russian research vessel to be used in a joint U.S./Russian fisheries study in the Bering Sea; setting up an International Geodynamics Research Center to conduct seismic research in Kyrgyzstan; and establishing a new national agency for competitive support of scientific and technological research in Armenia.

   In another example, the MacArthur Foundation commissioned the CRDF to conduct an in-depth study of opportunities for support of basic research in the FSU by private foundations. The study resulted in a second grant from the MacArthur Foundation to the CRDF to develop an implementation plan for a potential long-term Higher Education Initiative managed by the CRDF.

CRDF

. . . maintains a close, cooperative relationship with government agencies and research institutions in the former Soviet Union. As required by the CRDF's founding legislation, all FSU countries participating in its programs must contribute a minimum amount of financial support as a condition of the issuance of any grants. Some of the countries — in particular Russia and Ukraine — have committed to contributions substantially beyond that minimum.

   The CRDF consults with an International Advisory Council that includes representatives of science ministries and R&D agencies from partner countries. Council members advise on scientific and technological priorities of their governments and on the interests and needs of their scientific communities. They also serve as liaisons for Foundation programs in their countries. With the assistance of its FSU counterparts and other partners such as the International Science Foundation (ISF), the CRDF is able to transfer money and equipment to recipients in the FSU exempt of income taxes, value-added taxes, and customs duties.