NSF PR 01-83 - October 18, 2001
U.S. and EC Officials Sign Agreement to Foster
Scientific Collaboration
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the European
Commission (EC) today signed an Implementing Arrangement
for Cooperative Activities in the areas of climate
research, marine science and technology, seismic risk
and hazards reduction, Arctic research and environmental
biology. The signing ceremony took place at a meeting
of NSF's Advisory Committee for Environmental Research
and Education. Margaret Leinen, NSF's assistant director
for geosciences, and Christian Patermann, the EC’s
director of environment and sustainable development,
signed the document.
According to NSF Director Rita Colwell, the new implementing
arrangement will advance NSF's goals and strategies
by: fostering the development of an internationally
competitive and globally engaged workforce; enhancing
NSF's international partnerships; and enabling joint
research projects with four research offices and directorates
at NSF -- the directorates for biological sciences,
geosciences, and engineering and the Office of Polar
Programs.
The agreement also links European programs and expertise
to NSF priority programs such as global climate change
research, biocomplexity, environmental observatories,
long-term ecological research and the network of earthquake
engineering sensors.
Following the signing ceremony, Leinen expressed confidence
that the implementing arrangement would join and extend
the human and financial resources of the two organizations
in addressing critical global issues.
Patermann also addressed the advisory committee on
the priorities and activities of the EC in environmental
research and education through its support of Europe-wide,
multinational research consortia.
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