NATO: - Science for Peace and Security Program

Sponsor: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

The Science for Peace and Security Programme offers grants to scientists in NATO, Partner and Mediterranean Dialogue countries to collaborate on priority research topics, which include NATO priorities and additional Partner country priorities. Grants are also offered to assist the academic community in Partner countries to set up computer networking infrastructure and to optimize their use of electronic communication.

Priority Research Topics Supported:

Scientific Collaboration for Defence against Terrorism - The priority research topics in the area of Defence Against Terrorism are concerned with the science needed to accelerate progress in detecting nuclear, chemical, biological or radiological weapons or agents, or with improving physical protection against such weapons. Improved decontamination procedures are also needed, as well as improved methods for the safe destruction of these types of weapons or agents. Progress in medical responses to counteract such weapons needs also to be made, for example chemical and immunological technologies. Measures to protect against eco-terrorism and computer terrorism are two more areas earmarked for concentrated study.

Rapid Detection of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) agents or weapons, and rapid diagnosis of their effects on people

Novel and rapid methods of detection (e.g., chemical and biosensors, multisensor processing, gene chips)

Physical Protection against CBRN agents

Decontamination of CBRN agents

Destruction of CBRN agents and weapons

Medical Countermeasures

Eco-Terrorism Countermeasures

Computer Terrorism Countermeasures

Scientific Collaboration to Counter Other Threats to Security - The priority research topics on Countering Other Threats to Security are in less acutely dangerous fields, but are in areas which nevertheless pose a risk to security and stability, particularly in a regional context, and scientific and technical studies are key. One such is environmental security, where desertification, land erosion or pollution of common waterways can lead to regional or cross-border disputes.

Water resources management, or management of other, non-renewable, resources are two more examples of problems for which solutions must be found. Reliable scientific models of sustainable consumption of food, energy or materials need to be developed, to include fiscal measures and environmental impacts. Being able to forecast disasters, or better still prevent them, would lead to a safer world. The reliance of modern society on the provision of safe food or on secure and reliable information means that their availability must be assured, and indeed there are many areas of social sciences which must be studied in the effort to make society more secure.

Environmental Security (e.g., desertification, land erosion and pollution.)

Water Resources Management

Management of Non-Renewable Resources

Modeling Sustainable Consumption (e.g., food, energy, materials, fiscal measures and environmental costings)

Disaster Forecasting and Prevention

Food Security

Information Security

Human and Societal Dynamics (e.g. new challenges for global security, economic impact of terrorist actions, risk assessment, management of science, science policy, security-related political science, and international relations in general)

Partner Country Priorities - A list has also been developed of Partner-country priorities which extend or supplement NATO’s Priority Topics in a national or regionally specific manner. These also serve as a focus for SPS Committee-sponsored activity.This list may be consulted here. Applicants from the Partner countries, or from NATO countries Bulgaria and Romania, may submit an application in one of their country's priorities, in collaboration with NATO-country colleagues.

Deadline: Applications may be submitted at any time, although upcoming deadlines for submission of applications have been set as follows: 1 March , 1 July, and 1 November

For further information, please visit: http://www.nato.int/science/nato_funded_activities/topics_supported.htm