WHOI-90-52

The North Atlantic Treaty Ort:anization (NATO) was established in 1949 as an international
organization for the common defense of all members. It includes as members a number of
western Europe countres as well as Canada and the Unite States. NATO serves as a forum
for the planning and discussion of milta, politica, and ecnomic issues. Frace parcipates
only in nonmilta activities. NATO includes a Division of Scientific and Environmenta Affairs
which advises NATO's sereta-genera on scientific issues and which sponsors a program of
scientific exchanges among members. In 1969, NATO organize the Committe on the
Challenges of Modern Society (CCMS) which has sponsored cooperative resech leading to
policy proposas on environmenta problems.
In 1959, NATO established an antisubmarne warfare (now "underse") resech center at La
Spezia, Itay, known as the Supreme Alled Commander Atlantic Underse Resech Centre
(SACLANTCEN). SACLANTCEN has an annua budget of approximately $25 milion, with
much of its technica and financial support coming from the U.S. and British navies. The Center
has been involved primarly in physica ocographic and oc engineering resech. Some
of its speific tehnologica emphases have included the development of prototyp instruments
such as long-range towed hydrophone arays; moored and bottom mounted sonar sensors; doppler
sonar buoys; and towed oscilating boies for continuous profiling. SACLANTCEN has recently
taen delivery of anew, state-of-the-ar ocographic resech vessel, the R. V. Allance.
The Nordic Council (NC) was founded in 1952 primarly on the basis of existing informal
relationships among member states. The NC and its affiliate, the Nordic Council of Ministers
(NCM), were founded to enhance coperation among Scadinavian countres and to set up
jointly-sponsored economic and scientific institutions. The NC issues "recommendations" to the
NCM and to its member governments. Denmark's membership in both the EC and the NC is
believed by some observers to facilitate the harmonization of national economic policies across
the EC frontier. In this sense, the NC may provide an additional boost to the efforts of EFT A
members. In 1973, the NCM organized the Nordic Fund for Industral and Technologica
Development (NIT) to issue grants, loans, and subsidies for industral R&D projects that are
of interest to more than one member. Sometimes referred to as a "Nordic Eureka," in 1986 the
fund support 40 percent of 130 R&D projects costing $45 milion.14
The Europe Science Foundation (ESF) draws its membership from some 50 grant-makng
agencies in 18 Europe countres, including Finland and Turkey. This membership gives the
ESF a degree of influence much greater than its own budget of roughly $2 millon would
suggest: projects backed by ESF se money are likely to recive favorable attention from
national funding agencies. In the marne setor, the ESF supports activities in geoscience and
oc circulation. The ESF Consortium for Oc Drillng (ECOD), consisting of organizations
14 In 1987, NFITD published a brochure describing severa kinds of advance tehnologies
including MEI technologies such as multibeam echosounders, subse positioning systems, ship
eah stations, INMARSAT coast ea stations, and naval tehnologies (NIT, 1987).
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