Involvement of Developing Country Scientists in Activities of the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research

This award provides funds to the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) for a long-standing program of travel assistance to qualified and active oceanographic researchers and early-career scientists from developing countries and nations with economies in transition. SCOR travel grants are awarded to enable such individuals to attend international meetings relevant to their scientific interests and to those of SCOR and the Division of Ocean Sciences of NSF. This ongoing project has become the cornerstone of SCOR's efforts to provide assistance to marine scientists in the developing countries and with economies in transition for example eastern European nations and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The impacts of this activity extend beyond the ocean sciences into other scientific topics by stimulating scientific progress in developing countries. In many cases, personal connections and collaborations that can result from contacts made through these travel grants can have long-lasting effects both in international activities as well as in the developing country's science communities as the individuals involved rise through the ranks of science and science policy. This award provides funds to the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) for a long-standing program of travel assistance to qualified and active oceanographic researchers and early-career scientists from developing countries and nations with economies in transition. NSF support has provided an effective mechanism to establish contacts between oceanographers from the developing and the industrialized countries, including the United States, and to facilitate collaborative efforts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.