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Disarmament DocumentationBack to Disarmament Documentation US-Russia BioIndustry Initiative, September 15'US-Russia BioIndustry Initiative: New Collaboration to Reduce the Threat of Bioterrorism', Media Note from the US Department of State, http://www.state.gov, Office of the Spokesman, September 15. The Department of State is pleased to announce a $1.7 million contract to support collaboration between the Boston-based Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology (CIMIT) and the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC), Moscow, to implement the Department's BioIndustry Initiative. This new effort supports a 2001 commitment between US and Russian Presidents, George W. Bush and Vladimir V. Putin, to pursue cooperation to counter the threat of bioterrorism, including a focus on health-related measures. The BioIndustry Initiative (BII) is the Department of State's newest proliferation threat reduction program. It aims to counter the threat of bioterrorism through targeted transformation of former Soviet biological weapons research and production capacities by creating US-Russian research partnerships. Based on its successful consortium model, the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology will facilitate formation of systems in Russia to link scientists, physicians, and engineers to solve medical and scientific problems. Working with the International Science and Technology Center, it will create collaborative linkages among Russian scientists, US academic institutions and industry to identify innovative technologies and commercialization opportunities. © 2003 The Acronym Institute. |