Report Proposes Plan to Build Science and Technology Capacities Around the World
On February 5th, the InterAcademy Council (IAC) presented its report, Inventing a Better Future: Strategies for Building Worldwide Capacities in Science and Technology, to the United Nations Secretary General. A study panel of 12 experts was appointed by the IAC at the end of 2001 with the charge to develop a plan for promoting worldwide science capacities. Not only does the panel's report address the various components of the overall capacity-building process, but it also details the actions necessary to develop each component. The two longest chapters in the report address the urgency to promote worldwide science and technology capacity and expanding human resources. The document even suggests agendas for the different sectors of the international science community, including countries with various levels of science and technology capacity, various international and national organizations and the media. For example, non-governmental organizations such as Sigma Xi have been challenged to 1) encourage innovation in disseminating the results of research and in turning them into new products and services that address local needs and 2) provide information to the public about science and technology issues relevant to developing nations. Headquartered at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in Amsterdam, the IAC was formed four years ago by the leaders of the world's national science academies to mobilize the best scientists and engineers worldwide to provide high quality advice to international bodies such as the United Nations.

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Publicizing Your Research
Researchers who have published their work mainly in non-English-language journals may find it difficult to promote their research without attending multiple international meetings. One technique that International Women in Science & Engineering (IWISE) teaches to their fellows is to post on the Internet English research summaries and/or English translations of the abstracts of publications. Indeed, this technique has proven successful for several IWISE fellows who were contacted by colleagues in other countries who saw their research summaries online. The Sigma Xi Packard Initiative networking group in Kharkov, Ukraine, suggests a format for the summaries posted on their Web site. Although hosting an Internet site may be expensive for an individual, if a group of researchers join together, not only is the cost per person more affordable, but the group might also be eligible to apply for special funding for this project.

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Call for Bids to Host Conference
The International Network on Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) is soliciting bids for national coalitions to host the 10th International Conference on Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST 10), scheduled for 2008, in countries where the meeting has not been previously held. All proposals should be submitted to Marina Joubert by April 1, 2004 either electronically (marina@saasta.ac.za) or by mail (Marina Joubert, SAASTA, PO Box 1758, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa). PCST's scientific committee will review proposals at the PCST 8 meeting in Barcelona June 3-6, 2004. Groups interested in hosting the conference should be available to discuss their bid with the Committee at the Barcelona meeting.

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Free Online Access to SAGE Journals
SAGE Publications is offering a free trial of all content for its journals via the Ingenta Select service until March 31, 2004. SAGE publishes more than 150 science and engineering journals. To receive this temporary access, you must complete the free registration to choose a username and receive a password. Complete details are available online. [NOTE: if you are already registered with Ingenta, you still need to register with SAGE and select a different username than your Ingenta username.]

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Plans for New Pan-European Digital Library
At its September 2003 meeting, the Conference of European National Librarians (CENL) agreed to move forward with the establishment of a new pan-European library service called "The European Library" (TEL). TEL will be an Internet portal offering integrated access to the combined resources of Europe's national libraries. The goal is to initially offer free searching of both digital and non-digital collections through multilingual interfaces, and then potentially offer multilingual searching at some point in the future. The service will also offer downloading of files-some for free and others for a fee. The European Library Office was created to manage TEL. It will be hosted by the Koninklijke Bibliotheek in the Netherlands and funded by contributions from the national libraries. TEL will be partially integrated with Gabriel, the electronic CENL service currently providing information about 43 European national libraries, their collections, services and online exhibitions. TEL will be launched towards the end of 2004. [Source: Open Access Blog]

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Did You Know?
The Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) currently has several open calls for applications. Research grants are available for pathogenesis and applied genomics; identification of new drug targets and development of diagnostics; and strategic social, economic and behavioral research. Other opportunities include a course on infectious diseases (taught in French), an advanced course on immunology, vaccinology and biotechnology applied to infectious diseases (taught in English) and a Career Development Fellowship in high-throughput screening. The earliest deadline among the programs is February 26, 2004, and TDR's Web site has the complete information. [Source: SciDev.Net]

The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is accepting applications for the 2004 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Access to Learning Award. The award is given annually to a public library or similar organization outside the U.S. that has shown a commitment to offering the public free access to information technology through an existing innovative program. The award includes a grant of up to US$1 million. Applications should be sent to CLIR and postmarked by February 28, 2004.

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) is offering several funding opportunities to international researchers, including the ASM International Fellowship Program, the UNESCO-ASM Travel Award and the ASM International Professorship Program. These programs have various deadlines, the first of which is March 1, 2004. Please refer to the Web site for descriptions of and applications for these programs. [Source: ASM International Alert]

The International Council for Science (ICSU) Grants Program is a competitive, peer-reviewed process supporting collaborative scientific initiatives of relevance to science and society undertaken by those associated with ICSU Scientific Unions and Interdisciplinary Bodies. Proposals should target ICSU priority areas and be both international and multi-disciplinary; they must be submitted electronically by March 1, 2004. For more information, write to rohini@icsu.org.

Two different opportunities are available through the Program on Ethical Issues in International Health Research at the Harvard School of Public Health. First, mid-career professionals and scholars from all parts of Asia who have completed graduate degrees and have had some years of experience in the fields of health research and/or research ethics are encouraged to apply for the Research Ethics Fellowship Program. This 22-month, non-degree program is sponsored by the Fogarty International Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH); applications must be submitted by March 1, 2004. In addition, some scholarship assistance is available to applicants from developing countries wishing to participate in the 6th annual Ethical Issues in International Health Research Workshop, to be held June 14-18, 2004 in Boston. The last day to submit applications for the workshop is April 16, 2004. Details for both programs are available online. [Source: SciDev.Net]

March 25, 2004 is the next deadline for receipt of applications for the Fogarty International Research Collaboration Award (FIRCA) program. This program provides support to foster international research partnerships between NIH-supported U.S. scientists and their collaborators in countries of the developing world. U.S. scientists having an eligible NIH grant may apply for projects in all areas of biomedical and behavioral research supported by NIH.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (abbreviated "the Global Fund") has issued its fourth call for proposals. Established in 2002, the Global Fund is an international, public-private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and it is now the largest funder of programs to contend with these three diseases. Proposals should support the scale-up of existing programs and innovative projects that meet the Global Fund's criteria. All countries except those classified by the World Bank as "high income" are eligible to apply for research funding that is expected to total more than US$600 million in this cycle. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit proposals electronically through a new web-based system prior to the April 5, 2004 deadline. Information is available online in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. [Source: SciDev.Net]

The Tech Museum Awards program is currently seeking nominations for innovators from around the world who are using technology to benefit humanity. A unique and prestigious program, the Tech Museum Awards will honor 25 laureates in various categories, including environment and health. One laureate in each category will be awarded a US$50,000 cash prize, and nominations are due on April 5, 2004. [Source: Digital Dividend Digest]

UNESCO’s Space Education Program, EURISY, and the Norwegian Space Center have announced three "space" contests for schoolchildren worldwide. The monthly Children’s Art Competition is for 6–10 year-olds, the Essay Contest is for 11–15 year-olds, and the Science Fiction Writing Contest is for 16–19 year-olds.  Deadlines for the latter two contests are in April 2004. [Source: A World of Science Newsletter]

The most comprehensive nonproliferation activity conducted by the International Science & Technology Center (ISTC) is its Science Project Program. Through this program, ISTC solicits scientific project proposals from institutes throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States and provides funding and logistic support to project teams. These teams develop and execute their projects in cooperation with foreign collaborating organizations. Technology areas that receive special consideration by the ISTC include: environmental monitoring and remediation; vaccines, immunology, and pathology; nuclear safety and materials safeguarding; chemical process engineering; and power production.

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Upcoming Meetings
Sustainable Development Conference; Johannesburg, South Africa; March 15-17, 2004.

3rd International Conference on Ethics Education in Medical Schools; Eilat, Israel; March 21-25, 2004.

State of the Planet 2004 Conference; New York, New York, USA; March 29-30, 2004.

International Conference on Innovation, Sustainability and Policy; Kloster Seeon, Germany; May 23-25, 2004.

For more information on any of the programs mentioned in this newsletter, please contact:

Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
P. O. Box 13975, 3106 East NC Highway 54
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA
Telephone: +1-919-549-4691 or +1-919-547-5246
Fax: +1-919-549-0090
E-mail: international@sigmaxi.org