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Deal to aid research partnerships

Streamlining aims to foster work of Czech, U.S. scientists

By Markéta Hulpachová
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
September 19th, 2007 issue

Czech scientists recently mapped the genome of a unique type of bacteria that could someday help clean up hazardous waste the world over.
Spearheaded by Academy of Sciences President and biochemistry professor Václav Pačes in collaboration with the University of Chicago, the project grew from an increasingly fruitful partnership between U.S. and Czech researchers.
On Sept. 6, Education Minister Dana Kuchtová and U.S. Ambassador Richard Graber signed a framework agreement to promote further collaboration between Czech and U.S. scientists.
The agreement, originally drafted in 2005 and presented to all European Union states, aims to strengthen governments’ ability to fund mutual projects by streamlining international regulations for patent laws, customs and research grants.
“The agreement with the United States addresses more than just standard research issues,” Kuchtová says. “It supports the establishment of long-term relationships and nurtures the spontaneous creation of long-term projects.”
Similar contracts between the two countries have been in effect since 1991. That year, the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic and the United States signed a five-year cooperation agreement on science and technology research, drawing interest from representatives from the U.S. research community, including National Science Foundation (NSF) International Activities Director Bonnie Thompson.
“There are no quotas for the Czech Republic, or any other country,” Thompson writes in a document presented to the U.S. Embassy in 2005. “Proposals involving U.S.-Czech research teams simply compete with all others, domestic and international,” allowing the NSF to select the best international partners for its projects, she says.
Cooperation between Czech and U.S. scientists began in the early 1990s, when Thompson began traveling here to scout out possible NSF research projects, says Pačes.
“There is a long tradition of scientific contacts between the countries, and they are beneficial to both parties,” says Education Ministry spokeswoman Karolína Svobodová. “Thanks to this, hundreds of projects have been realized.”
While the NSF’s fields are limited to basic science and engineering, joint projects have grown to span a wide array of fields, including nanoscience, genetics and plant research. Because of the NSF’s narrow focus, these specialized areas are funded by other U.S. technical agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Czech funding comes from any of [these] funding partners, depending upon the best fit and where the Czech researcher elects to apply for support,” Thompson says.
Since the 1989 revolution, when the abolition of certain bureaus liberalized scientific research programs, international partnerships have been allowed to grow independently.
“The scientific sphere became much more relaxed after 1989,” Pačes says. “For research, this decentralization was the best possible thing.”
While the current climate enables cooperation with all EU countries, partnering with U.S. institutions is especially valuable for local scientists.
“The U.S. still represents a scientific pinnacle. There is great interest in mutual cooperation, especially from our side,” Pačes says. “Although these may be small investments for the U.S., for us they’re extremely significant.”
Since research is so decentralized, it’s difficult to determine a concrete sum invested here by U.S. institutions, but Pačes says it’s “billions of crowns.” Funding for Czech science has increased in recent years, but the Academy of Sciences announced Sept. 5 that budget cuts will trim science spending in 2008.
Most research partnerships are formed on a bilateral basis. “It’s common for researchers to find their own contacts,” Pačes says. “It most often happens through exchange programs and mutual visits.”
While longer-term projects develop from previous cooperation in fields such as biomedicine, astronomy and mathematics, the relationship between U.S. and Czech scientists is not limited to any particular area of study.
According to Pačes, this deregulation creates an ideal atmosphere for innovation.
“Before 1990, everything was regulated, often just for the sake of monitoring communication with foreigners,” he says. “Today, we don’t even register many of these partnerships, which is fantastic.”

Markéta Hulpachová can be reached at mhulpachova@praguepost.com


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