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I. Regional

U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF)

CRDF is a nonprofit organization authorized by the U.S. Congress and established in 1995 by the National Science Foundation. This unique public-private partnership promotes international scientific and technical collaboration, primarily between the United States and Eurasia, through grants, technical resources, and training.

CRDF funds collaborative research projects in all areas of basic and applied science, including biomedical and behavioral science. Grants support collaborations between scientists at American and Eurasian universities, institutes, companies and other research institutions. Programs support cooperative research and provide special opportunities for junior scientists, female scientists, and former weapons researchers; foster partnerships with U.S. companies; enable scientists to travel to the U.S. to meet with potential industry collaborators and attend conferences; and build infrastructure linking Eurasian scientists to the international scientific community.

For more information about CRDF's programs, including announcements for current funding opportunities, please visit the CRDF Web site: http://www.crdf.org.

II. Russia

U.S.-Russia Commission on Economic and Technological Cooperation

The U.S.-Russia Commission on Economic and Technological Cooperation (formerly known as the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission) was established in 1993 to promote cooperation between the U.S. and Russia and to overcome barriers across a spectrum of sectors. NIH is an active member of two committees under the aegis of the Commission, the Health Committee and the Science and Technology (S&T) Committee.

The Health Committee focuses on collaboration in priority public health issues, such as infectious diseases, maternal and child health, and access to quality health care. Several NIH institutes have been active partners in the Health Committee in the research aspects of substance abuse prevention, treatment and control of infectious diseases (including HIV/AIDS), and maternal and child health statistics. More recently, new collaborations were established in the areas of mental health, micronutrient malnutrition, and biomedical communications. In March 1999, the S&T Committee proposed to include infectious disease research and research training to promote U.S.-Russian cooperation, especially in the development and evaluation of new or improved diagnostic tests, vaccines, and therapeutic agents that would help address urgent public health needs in Russia.

III. Ukraine

Gore-Kuchma Commission

The Gore-Kuchma Commission (GKC), established in 1996, has four committees which focus on trade, energy and the environment, defense, and sustainable economic cooperation. FIC has represented NIH in the Science & Technology Working Group of the GKC. Among the working group's objectives is the promotion of cooperation in biomedical research as well as ongoing exchange of information on respective programs, research capabilities, government priorities, and opportunities for collaboration. NIH institutes which have been especially active in pursuing collaboration with their Ukrainian counterparts are the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Efforts have focused on the health effects linked to the Chernobyl disaster, and have included epidemiological studies of thyroid cancer and leukemia, maternal and child health, and children's mental and behavioral health.

IV. Georgia

Collaboration with the Georgian Ministry of Health

The Fogarty International Center, working with several NIH Institutes and the Georgian Ministry of Health (MOH), convened a multidisciplinary workshop in November 1996 to explore the potential for increased cooperation in the biomedical sciences. The workshop, attended by directors and representatives of several NIH Institutes as well as senior officials of the Georgian MOH, was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), the Fogarty International Center (FIC), and CRDF. Six priorities were identified as potential emphasis areas for strengthened U.S.-Georgian collaboration: tuberculosis, cancer, drug abuse, immunodeficiency and AIDS, asthma and immunology, and biomedical information systems and databases. In an ongoing effort, FIC has continued to provide input to the Ministry of Health as Georgia restructures its biomedical research system.

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