COMPETITION LAUNCHED FOR MAJOR NEW RESEARCH & EDUCATION
CENTER FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN UKRAINE BY CRDF

U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC)
Washington, D.C., Tuesday, August 26, 2008
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation (CRDF) has announced a competition to select and establish a major research and education center for energy efficiency in Ukraine.  This center will be the second in a planned series of new research and education centers in Ukraine that will address key economic priority areas.

"The CREST (Cooperation in Research and Education in Science and Technology) centers are jointly funded by public and private sector partners. CRDF welcomes interest from any members of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC) or other companies who may wish to consider serving as partners for future research and education centers in Ukraine, " according to Morgan Williams, SigmaBleyzer, who serves as president of USUBC. 
 
The new CREST Center for Energy Efficiency, to be selected in late 2008 through a peer-reviewed competition among Ukrainian universities, will develop innovative solutions and new technologies for energy conservation and efficiency while educating young scientists in this important field. 

The CREST Center for Energy Efficiency has been made possible with the generous support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from the American people, CRDF, and the Ministry of Education and Science in Ukraine (MESU).
 
Modeled on a similar CRDF program in Russia, the goal of the CREST program is to strengthen research capabilities in science and technology, promote the integration of research and education, and increase academic and private sector collaboration in Ukrainian higher education institutions. 

The CREST Center for Energy Efficiency will be the second CREST center since May 2007, following the establishment of the first CREST center at the National Mining University in Dnipropetrovsk, focused on mine safety and environmentally sound mining practices. 

CRDF and the MESU have identified several high priority areas of science and technology in which to establish additional CREST centers, including energy, agricultural sciences, information and communication technologies, and public health.  CRDF is currently seeking additional support and partners for these centers.
 
CRDF is a nonprofit organization authorized by the U.S. Congress and established in 1995 by the National Science Foundation. This unique public-private partnership promotes international scientific and technical collaboration through grants, technical resources and training. CRDF is based in Arlington, Virginia with offices in Kyiv, Ukraine; Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia; and Astana, Kazakhstan. 

USUBC president Williams said, "the CREST program is directed and managed by Dr. Marilyn Pifer, a molecular biologist with more than two decades of experience in promoting U.S. science and technology collaboration with Eurasian countries, and who resided in Ukraine from 1998 to 2001.

CRDF has been an active member of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC), Washington, D.C. (www.usubc.org) since 2007.
 
For more information on how your company can be involved in the CRDF CREST program, please contact Ashley Dougherty at adougherty@crdf.org or 703-526-6766, Arlington, VA or for the CRDF Ukraine office in Kyiv please contact Natalia Artiukhovskaya at nartiukhovskaya@crdf.org.ua or 38-044-253-7223. Additional information CRDF is available on their website http://www.crdf.org/.