30-years of Science for a Safer World – Astana hosts the anniversary of International Science and Technology Center

The event's topic, “Science for a Safer World,” focused on ISTC's activities over the past thirty years, bringing together leading scientists, diplomats and policymakers, celebrating the center's significant achievements.

Participants and speakers

The ceremony was opened by the chairperson of the governing board of the ISTC, Dr. Ronald F. Lehman and David Cleave, the ISTC executive director, expressing sincere wishes and gratitude.

The event’s participants included Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic Kazakhstan and other high level government ministry officials, government agencies as well as distinguished scientists, international organizations, embassies and officials representing 25 countries worldwide.

Among the distinguished speakers at the conference were: Fukazawa Yoichi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan; Judy Kuo, Acting Head of U.S. Mission in Kazakhstan; and Maciej Madalinski, Head of Political Section, European Union Delegation in Kazakhstan and ISTC Government Partner.

History of ISTC

The ISTC is an intergovernmental organization established in 1992 that funds and coordinates the activities of scientists and research organizations from around the world to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction. The headquarters of the ISTC is located in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Currently, the organization's members are Armenia, the European Union, Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Tajikistan and the USA.

The ISTC’s vision is to be the partner of choice in creating, facilitating and expediting impactful world-class multilateral science and technology collaboration aimed at making the world safer, more secure and sustainable.

Discussion panels

The event participants discussed the significance of cooperation, the reasons for the creation of the ISTC, its achievements and the future. The discussion continued with a question and answer session.

Thus, for almost three decades, the ISTC has collaborated with more than 80,000 scientific experts from more than 800 research institutes in the CIS, Georgia and other countries.

Since 2015, the ISTC has expanded its projects and activities around the world, covering regions such as the Middle East, East Asia, South America, Africa, Southeast and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus, covering a total of 100 countries. Over 30 years, the ISTC has funded more than 4,500 scientific projects totaling more than $1.6 billion.

The final panel focused on current and future security challenges, including biosecurity, critical infrastructure protection, and emerging technologies.

In preparation for the future, the organization intends to further build on its successes and has begun implementing a new 7-year Strategic Roadmap Plan aimed at expanding its areas of interest and attracting new interested countries to strengthen global security.