Research comes in from the cold

Political and economic upheavals have forced researchers in eastern Europe to take a fresh look at how they collaborate with other countries. The author reports from Belarus on how they are coming to terms with the new situation. At least five different types of collaboration now exist: agreements between academies and other state-funded structures; bilateral agreements between research organisations; projects funded by the west; individual grants and fellowships to eastern scientists from western foundations; and projects funded by the European Commission. Agreements between academies and other state-funded structures are mainly intended and used for bilateral visits. The process of signing new agreements is very slow, often due to a lack of financial resources on both sides, but some have been successful.