International Relations of the Foundation

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OF THE FOUNDATION

For the past few years the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (the RFBR) has acquired an excellent reputation in the scientific community both within Russia and beyond its territory. This contributes to the ever-increasing desire of foreign organizations to cooperate with the Foundation, to hold joint competitive selection contests and other joint events. RFBR has been actively developing its relations with international and foreign scientific organizations and foundations, with the main objectives of the Foundation being the following:

- provision of support for Russian scientists engaged in basic research within the framework of international cooperation in all areas of knowledge
- attraction of additional funds for the development of basic scientific research in Russia
- promotion of participation by Russian scientists in conferences and meetings abroad
- comparative analysis of international experience in expert examination and competitive research funding
- provision of assistance to foreign and international organizations in expert examination of their project proposals by RFBR experts
- study and application of experience of leading foreign foundations in competitive funding of research

The holding of competitive selection contests for research projects by Russian and foreign scientists is viewed by the Foundation as the most important form of integration of Russian scientists into the international scientific community, and it also significantly elevates the level of research and makes it possible to achieve world-level results.
Since 1994 cooperation agreements have been signed with the German Research Foundation (DFG), the International Association for the promotion of cooperation with scientists from the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union (INTAS), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the National Science Foundation of the USA (NSF), the National Center for Scientific Research of France (CNRS), the Estonian Science Foundation (ESF), the Byelorussian Republican Foundation for Basic Research (BRFBR), the National Science Council in Taipei (Taiwan), the Swedish Natural Science Research Council (NFR), the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), the Volta Landau Center and the Cariplo Foundation (Italy), the Royal Society of Britain, the Academy of Finland, the Ministry of Flanders (MF, Belgium), the Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Center for Academic Exchange (CAE, Israel), the British Council (Britain), the Bureau of Academic Exchange (ъAD, Austria), the Lithuanian State Foundation for Science and Education, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1.
Within the framework of such agreements, competitions are held to select joint research projects, and it enables us to expand international scientific cooperation and to attract additional funds from abroad to support Russias best scientific collectives.
RFBRs participation in international competitive selection events has several forms which may be conditionally divided into the following four kinds:

1. Parity funding of competitive selection events by RFBR and a partner foundation: to this kind belongs a joint project held by INTAS and RFBR in 1995. Separate funding (each foundation mainly supports its own scientists): these are joint competitive selection events held together with DFG, CNRS, NSFC, BRFBR, NSF/CRDF, INTAS-RFBR 1997, ъAD, CAE.
2. Joint funding main funds are provided by a partner foundation while RFBR supports only Russian project participants. Such are competitive selection events organized jointly with NWO (The Netherlands) and NSC (Taiwan).
3. Funding of joint projects by a foreign partner foundation (with RFBR participating in expert examination and application selection): here may be mentioned project selection events held together with the Switzerland National Science Foundation.

Joint competitive selection events to select research projects, involving such foundations as DFG, NSFC, CNRS, BRFBR, CAE, MF, are held under cooperation agreements. And each foundation conducts its own expert examination independently and, as a rule, provides funding to scientific groups from its own country. Support is provided for projects that have passed independent national expert examinations.
The most active partner of RFBR is the German Research Foundation (DFG). This may be borne out by numerous long-term relations existing between Russian and German research groups practically in every field of fundamental science. The first contacts between DFG and RFBR date back to 1994. In 1995 the first competitive selection event was held for joint Russian-German research project proposals. The number of applications (over 700) received by RFBR confirms the fact that there is a high potential for development of Russian-German cooperation. The results of such competitive selection events showed that there were some problems in the cooperation between the two foundations and because of that was adopted a decision that proved to be very good for scientists it was decided to pass on to holding a continuous selection event for RFBR-DFG research projects, commencing in 1997. This means in practice that, after approval of the respective research theme, the distribution of duties and amount of work, etc., a German project co-manager submits an application (prepared in accordance with DFG requirements) to DFG. If the project is positively reviewed by DFG, the respective Russian co-manager may submit an application to RFBR. The past few years have shown that this arrangement is of considerable interest to our scientists. In 2000, for example 99 joint projects were funded after a joint competitive selection event held by DFG and RFBR, with 85 funded in 2001, and 80 in 2004.
Under a cooperation agreement with the NSFC of China, competitive selection events were organized to review joint project proposals submitted by Russian and Chinese scientists in 1996 and in subsequent years. Applications under such selection procedures were submitted to the RFBR and NSFC. Support was provided to projects that had been positively reviewed by the two foundations. Approximately 80 projects annually receive funding under such arrangements.
Since 1997 a competitive selection event has been held every year under a protocol for scientific cooperation between CNRS (France) and RFBR. It is unique in that, for CNRS, the basis of competitive selection events is traditional PICS (international programs for scientific cooperation) programs and JUMELAGES (programs for work of related laboratories) programs. Russian and French scientists agree on the theme of an application after which the French partner submits the application to CNRS to receive a grant from PICS or JUMELAGES. CNRS provides funding to research conducted both by French and Russian specific project participants. If a grant is provided by CNRS, RFBR requests the Russian partner to submit to it an application to receive financial support for research to be conducted under the joint project in Russia. CNRS accepts applications for inclusion in the PICS program until the end of May. As a rule, RFBR accepts applications from Russian scientists from December to February. From 30 to 40 joint projects are funded together with CNRS every year.
In the light of the ongoing integration processes to unite Russia and Belarus and taking into account traditionally close contacts existing between the scientists of the two countries it was only natural that RFBR and BRFBR should announce a competitive selection event for joint projects at the end of 1999. The competitive selection event with BRFBR was also held in 2002 and 2004. About 100 joint projects are supported annually based on the results of such competitive selection.
In February 1997, a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of fundamental scientific research was signed between RFBR and the NSF of the USA. Practical implementation of the memorandum was envisaged in the following three areas:

- joint projects to support young Russian scientists
- research in the Arctic
- telecommunications programs and information exchange

In 1998-1999 the U.S. Civil Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) (in agreement with NSF and using funds provided by it) and RFBR financed a program to support young scientists titled New Opportunities for Cooperation Among Young Scientists Under the CRDF Program. Over 80 young Russian and American scientists taking part in joint Russian-American projects supported by CRDF were provided with grants to make three-month research trips to the United States and Russia. The total funding under the program reached 550,000 U.S. Dollars while the share of CRDF (NSF) was 380,000 U.S. Dollars.
The system of expert examination of RFBR to review project proposals, in which are involved over 2,000 highly qualified leading Russian scientists, enjoys well-earned respect and trust on the part of the Foundations foreign partners. Cooperation in the holding of expert examination and merit review of both national projects of foreign science foundations and of joint projects of Russian and foreign scientists under competitive selection processes funded by foreign science foundations is one of the areas of the international activity of RFBR.
Experts of the Foundation have taken part in the expert examination of project applications submitted to the Estonian Science Foundation for several years now. Since 2000 in agreement with the Academy of Finland RFBR has recommended, at the request of the Finnish partner, (in a number of areas of knowledge) experts to conduct expert examination of national projects. On the recommendations of RFBR, Russian experts regularly take part in the review of INTAS project proposals. At the request of Switzerlands SNSF the Foundation participates in the expert examination of SNSF project proposals submitted under the Partnership of Institutes program in which Russian academic institutions also participate. The most telling example in the field of expert examination is a competitive selection process of joint Russian-Dutch projects fully funded by NWO. The annual funding budget is over 2 million U.S. Dollars. The amount of a typical grant is from 100,000 to 130,000 U.S. Dollars, with no less than 70% paid to participants from Russia. Every year from 40 to 50 projects are thus supported. In 1998 NWO invited RFBR to act as a partner in the competitive process to select promising projects. A competitive selection event was held in 2 stages. At each stage RFBR and NWO independently reviewed (using specially agreed criteria) project proposals. Clearance to get to the second stage (presentation of a detailed project proposal) after which a final decision on funding is made was granted at joint meetings of experts of RFBR and NWO.
In 2002 the competitive selection event for joint Russian-Dutch projects was transformed into a joint competitive selection contest of RFBR with annual funding at EUR 2 million. RFBRs share is about 10%. The maximum amount of a grant is EUR 150,000 per project. It is a one-stage contest.
In 2003 - 2004 RFBR experts conducted expert examination of joint project proposals with the Estonian Science Foundation and the Academy of Finland.
In 2004 RFBR held continuing international competitive selection events: RFBR-DFG (Germany), RFBR-NSFC (China), RFBR-CNRS (France), RFBR-BRFBR (Byelorussia), RFBR-NWO (The Netherlands), RFBR-OAE (Austria), RFBR Academy of Finland, and also held new such events:
- RFBR-BRFBR (Byelorussia),
- RFBR-CNRS (France),
- RFBR-NWO (The Netherlands),
- RFBR-NSFC (China),
- RFBR-CAE (Israel). T
The total number of submitted project proposals is 363 with funding in 2004 at 66.4 million Rubles. In 2005 RFBR is planning to hold new international competitive selection events: RFBR-MF (Belgium), RFBR-CNRS (France), RFBR-NSFC (China), RFBR-NWO (The Netherlands), RFBR-SNSF (Switzerland), RFBR-CAE (Israel), RFBR-NSC (Taiwan), RFBR-JSPS (Japan), RFBR-NSF (USA). It is envisaged that in 2005 the total amount of funding under international events will be about 90 million Rubles.
Fig. 2.
The chart in Fig. 2 testifies to the results obtained under joint international contests (see Fig. 2). As is seen from the chart the largest share is accounted for by joint publications with scientists from Germany, the USA and France. Although the total number of countries with which joint publications were prepared by scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences having grants from RFBR exceeds 70.
Since the 1980s chairpersons and presidents of the largest organizations for science funding and management in the G-7 powers have met annually; these meetings are popularly known as the Scientific G-7. The Forum brings together organizations which have different names: state foundations (the National Science Foundation of the USA), science councils (the National Research Council of Italy, the National Council for Research of Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Japan Science Council), societies (the Max Plank Society in Germany, the German Research Society) and the National Scientific Research Center (France). What is common among all of these organizations is that all of them are science management instruments of the State. The effective activities of RFBR in support of fundamental science, its active contribution to the development of international relations have been highly reviewed and much appreciated in the professional circles. The recognition of RFBR on the international level has lead to the transformation of the Scientific G7 into the Scientific G8. Since 1999 RFBR has been invited to participate in what is now meetings of the G-8.

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