Basic research in space science: Meaningful collaboration with developing countries

The U.S. Air Force looks world-wide to bring cutting edge basic research into its portfolio. In years past, this research primarily came from Western Europe. Since the early 1990's, however, the Air Force has expanded its collaborations significantly, and works with countries made accessible following the Cold War; countries that have developed new world-class capabilities; and countries with new and emerging scientific promise. Space weather, for example, is an emerging area of international interest, and is developing quickly in regions such as Africa. Other research, such as materials, also has significant pockets of excellence in developing countries, and is pervasive to include space applications. For applied space science and space hardware, however, U.S. export control regulations are a significant consideration in any collaboration. In addition, many developing countries require external funding sources to develop their scientific infrastructure. To that end, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation are exploring ways to work collaboratively in these regions.