NEW YORK, NY - The Mid-Atlantic - Russia Business Council and the U.S. Department of State announce the continuation of the series of seminars on "Russian Science & Technology Opportunities for U.S. Business."  Due to the success of the first thirteen seminars in the Mid-Atlantic region in Spring 2001- Spring 2003, six new seminars will be organized beginning in late Fall 2003 and running through 2004 that will extend throughout the East Coast and Eastern United States.  The largest, culminating event of the series will take place on May 26, 2004 in New York City. Each seminar will highlight different institutes, scientists and projects in Russia.

Program sessions will be led by representatives from the U.S. Department of State's Partners Program. The Partners Program, through Science Centers in Moscow and Kiev, offers U.S. businesses a protective infrastructure for funding basic and applied research projects, technology development, and technology demonstration research in the former Soviet Union. Included in these sessions will be presentations by U.S. corporations with significant transfer technology collaboration experience in Russia. These presenters include a diverse group of representatives ranging from major corporations to small businesses, and from research universities to technology associations and foundations such as U.S. Industry Coalition (USIC) and U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF). USIC members participate in the Department of Energy's Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention, a program partnering weapons scientists in the former Soviet Union with U.S. industry to transform weapons technologies into viable products for the global market.

These seminars are an excellent way to learn more about the opportunities for business cooperation between American and Russian companies. For U.S. businesses, organizations such as the USIC and CRDF offer a wealth of experience with research projects and investment opportunities in the former Soviet Union, and the State Department's Partners Program reduces the costs and political risks of funding research in the Newly Independent States. Companies can gain unique access to the former Soviet weapons R&D community and utilize their expertise to work on corporate projects in such fields as biotechnology, instrumentation, communications, air, space and surface transportation, materials, the environment and more.

The culmination of this series in 2004 will be held in conjunction with the CeBIT America Information and Communications Technology Trade Fair on May 25-27, 2004 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, NY. A delegation from the Russian Federation representing companies in the information technology, telecommunications and other technology industries will be present to have a full day of panel discussions and to exhibit the latest advancements in Russian technology for the duration of the CeBIT America. The Russian delegation visit will be organized in association with The International Science Technology Centers, The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation, The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, The Moscow Entrepreneurs Association, Algorithm Group, with promotional support from Integral, SiliconTaiga and Groteck.

CeBIT is the world's largest and most influential information and communications technology trade fair. CeBIT America joins an annual roster of international CeBIT events. In 2003 CeBIT America started  as an annual event to  bring together a few hundred exhibitors and tens of thousands of senior decision-makers from technology and vertical industries, including the automotive, banking, education, government, healthcare, hospitality, insurance & finance, manufacturing, media & publishing, and retail sectors. Partnering with leading business and government organizations, CeBIT America will offer exclusive business and educational opportunities for exhibitors and attendees. From the beginning the "Russian Science & Technology Opportunities for U.S. Business" seminar became an important part of the Russian conference program of CeBIT America. The Russian Pavilion, organized by the Mid-Atlantic - Russia Business Council, had an extensive display in the Exhibit Hall featuring the vast array of Russian science and technology capabilities and was one of the biggest parts of the international presentations (see http://www.cebit-america.com/2410).

For more information, please contact Val Kogan, Mid-Atlantic - Russia Business Council by phone: (215) 708-2628, email: ma-rbc@att.net, or visit the MARBC website at http://www.ma-rbc.org