Newswise — One year ago, President Obama’s historic speech in Cairo, Egypt issued a call to redefine America’s relationship with Muslims around the world, by focusing on opportunities for mutual benefit through shared scientific, academic and technological collaboration. Today, CRDF is launching a new cooperative initiative to respond to this call, focused on building and sustaining excellence in science and technology; helping young scientists to develop skills relevant to sustained employment; and promoting S&T-based innovation and economic development in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. The Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) initiative builds upon CRDF’s extensive experience engaging scientists in countries around the globe.
Cathy Campbell, president and CEO of CRDF said, “The GIST initiative will support the strategies outlined by the President in Cairo, and the Administration’s subsequent actions which have emphasized the priority it places on scientific and technological collaboration to promote peace in partnership in the region.” She continued, “GIST will help to build strong and sustainable research programs and relationships with the U.S. and other counterparts in the Arab and Muslim world.”
Initially funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES), the GIST initiative will implement three interactive programs to promote U.S., regional and local cooperation, said OES Assistant Secretary of State Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones:
•Establishing priorities. Through a series of interactive meetings, workshops and leadership groups, this program will connect U.S. stakeholders with regional leaders in support of a major 2011 science and technology innovation conference to identify and establish research priorities and construct the necessary framework to support and sustain collaboration.
•Building capacity. This program will provide targeted training for scientists and institute administrators in countries where the establishment of conditions for successful science engagement is critical. Efforts will build on existing scientist engagement efforts and focus on developing the human capacity, administrative procedures and the deployment of the equipment necessary for effective, peer-to-peer collaboration.
•Accessing information. The establishment of digital libraries in the Maghreb region of North Africa—will fill critical gaps in access to international research, improve the communication of research outcomes and support regional and international collaboration among scientists.
Where applicable, CRDF will place a priority on engaging scientists with dual use skills in productive civilian scientific enterprises to further economic and human development, and using the attractions of U.S. science to further better relations between the U.S. and other peoples.
About CRDFCRDF is a nonprofit organization authorized by the U.S. Congress and established in 1995 by the National Science Foundation to promote international scientific and technical collaboration through grants, technical resources and training. CRDF has nearly 15 years of experience managing international research funding programs and supporting emerging science and technology infrastructure in more than 30 countries in Eurasia, the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.
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