Topical reports

A worldwide network for scientificco-operationA review of the growing role of IAEA's research contract programme

by Christopher Taylor

When the IAEA was set up in 1957, one of its mainpurposes was to help researchers throughout the worldto use the new radioisotope techniques. National atomicenergy authorities were already promoting these in theirown countries. The Agency carried this a step further,bringing training and technical aid to research institutes,in all its Member States.

Since that time, assistance worth more than US $225million has been provided through the Agency'sprogrammes. More than 14 000 people have beentrained in subjects related to nuclear science, or throughthe award of fellowships, or by taking part in trainingcourses or study tours. Scientific equipment worth morethan US $100 million has been supplied and some 4000experts have been sent out as advisers or lecturers.

In parallel with this massive programme, a moremodest type of self-help has been developed. This grewout of interaction between technical people working inthe Agency and researchers in its Member States. Fromthis has come a worldwide network of researchco-operation.

Responding to problems in the field

During the early period of the Agency, there weremany problems in the field that had received insufficientattention, and a "contract" procedure was developed toencourage research work. This became known as theAgency's research contract programme. Initially, theproblems lay mainly in fields associated with nuclearpower, such as waste disposal or reactor safety, and themain "contractors" were institutes in the advancedcountries.

With the growth of the radioisotope programme,however, emphasis shifted towards laboratories indeveloping countries and was directed towards isotopeapplications in fields of special interest to them. Thus,work in the agricultural and life sciences now makes upmore than half of the Agency's research contractprogramme.

The value of a contract in this programme is quitemodest — between US $5000 and $10 000 per year —

with a typical contract running for 3 to 5 years. Themoney may be spent on equipment and supplies, or usedfor hiring staff. Topics are either proposed by a researchinstitute or suggested by the Agency. Information aboutthe programme is disseminated through a news sheetsent annually to the atomic energy authority in eachMember State.*

Growth of the network

During the 1960s, the advantages of organizing thesecontracts into some form of network became apparent.The Agency began to award contracts in similar termsto 10 or more institutes, often in the same geographicalregion, and to organize regular meetings, usually every18 months, in one or other of the participating institutesto enhance co-ordination between research teams.

An important element in each such group was theinclusion of some institutes in advanced countries. Withthese a research agreement, rather than a research con-tract, was drawn up. A research agreement carries nofunding, except for travel to the co-ordination meetings.Its primary purpose is to bring expertise into the net-work, and at the same time it offers the advanced insti-tute a widening of horizons that can be of great value.

The IAEA is co-ordinating more than 100 suchprogrammes, engaging some 900 research teams. Abouttwo-thirds of these hold research contracts and theremainder hold research agreements (see chart,page 48). These Co-ordinated Research Programmes(CRPs) form a strong research network that is a mosteffective vehicle for the transfer of knowledge andexperience.

The total annual cost of the scheme is about US $4.5million, of which $3.5 million comes directly from theAgency's budget and the rest from contributions byindividual Member States electing to act as donors forspecific parts of the programme.

Backing up the scheme is the Agency's Laboratory atSeibersdorf, near Vienna, Austria, where a staff of30 scientists with technical support provides a base forthe programme. Here methodology is developed, equip-

Mr Taylor is the former Head of the Agency's Laboratory at Seibers-dorf, Austria.

* Copies of news sheets are available by writing to the Agency's Con-tracts Administration Section, Department of Research and Isotopes.

IAEA BULLETIN, SUMMER 1986 47

Topical reports

Overview of IAEA's Co-ordinated Research Programmes

Membersof network

300 i-

100

Research Researchcontracts agreements

Agriculture Lifesciences

Nuclearenergy

ment is prepared, and scientists can come for training.Without this laboratory, which is unique in the UnitedNations system, the scheme would be much weaker andit would be very difficult to maintain the continuitynecessary in research programmes lasting several years.

Networking in various fields

Co-ordinated Research Programmes are running invarious fields. Agriculture heads the list with40 programmes, 280 contractors, and 123 agreementholders.

There are good reasons why networking has becomeso popular in agricultural research. A new strain ormethod may be developed in a major research centre,but adaptation is often necessary for the conditions ofsoil, climate, and social striicture in each country whereit will be used. This is work for local agriculturalresearch stations, of which there are several hundred inthe developing countries. Networking on a regionalbasis is-a very good way to reduce the isolation of staffat these stations.

Crop modification using mutation breeding is theobjective of several of these programmes. Examples areimproved grain legume production in Southeast Asia(9 contracts, 2 agreements), and improvements in oilseed crops in Latin America (7 contracts, 2 agreements).Development of skills in methodology, for example intissue culture techniques, can be an important part ofthese programmes.

Nitrogen fixation, and economy in the use of nitrogenfertilizers, are studied using the stable isotopenitrogen-15. Methods of isotopic analysis developed inthe Agency's Laboratory are used. During the early

48

stages of a programme, before all contractors areequipped for this type of analysis, plant samples may besent to the Laboratory for assay. Several thousand suchservice analyses are done each year. Contractors mayspend some weeks working at Seibersdorf during thisperiod, learning analytical techniques.

The rate of production of farm animals can beoptimized by studying their reproductive cycle. Radio-immunoassay (RIA) is an effective way of doing this.One CRP applies this method to the production ofbuffalo in Southeast Asia, using radiolabelled materialsdispensed at Seibersdorf and dispatched to the researchcontractors. Animal diseases, and the fate of therapeuticchemicals in livestock, also are studied by this method.

A specialty of the Agency's Laboratory is pest con-trol by the sterile insect technique, in which large num-bers of insects are reared and sterilized before beingreleased to mate with the pest population. One CRPrelates to the control of the tsetse fly by this means.Another seeks to develop, by genetic manipulation,strains of fruit fly in which only male insects are broughtto maturity. Only the males are required for pest control,and suppression of the females brings important practi-cal advantages.

Several CRPs are concerned with pollution of theenvironment and the effects of residual agrochemicals infood. Radiolabelled compounds are used to study chemi-cal degradation in natural systems, in studies aiming tominimize the quantities of agrochemicals that must beused.

A similar concern for trace element residues under-lies several medically-oriented programmes. Problemsin nutrition and occupational health are being studied.Other programmes relate to the use of radiation to steri-lize medical products or to extend the storage life offood. Others are investigating aspects of radiotherapy.

At Seibersdorf, training is given in construction and repair of electro-nic circuitry. (Credit: J. Daglish, IAEA)

IAEA BULLETIN, SUMMER 1986

Topical reports

Plant breeding: Work atSeibersdorf's glass-house.(Credit: J. Daglish, IAEA)

The frequent breakdown of electronic equipment is ahindrance to the use of advanced techniques in develop-ing countries. Erratic electric supply can be very damag-ing to microprocessor-based equipment. Investigation ofthe pattern of instrument failure was the subject of animportant CRP in Southeast Asia, and it gave rise toothers designed to introduce better repair and main-tenance procedures. This is networking not for research,but for improving the infrastructure on which researchdepends. The success of such a programme can lead toa local repair network centred on a national servicecentre, which may typically be in a national atomicenergy research establishment.

Last in this brief review comes the central science ofatomic energy: nuclear physics. CRPs bring togetherusers of research reactors, providing an impetus towardsbetter reactor management, improvements in instrumen-tation, and better methods of radioisotope production. Inparticle physics there are programmes for measuringand evaluating nuclear and atomic data, and for develop-ing the relevant instrumental and measurement tech-niques. A start is being made in plasma physics.

Broader mission has evolved

The breadth of subject matter covered by theseprogrammes shows that the Agency has moved forwardfrom its original task (to promote radioisotope tech-niques) and now has an altogether wider mission. Indoing so, it is following a route developed by manynational atomic energy research centres, some of whichnow contribute very broadly to the application ofadvanced techniques in their countries. They began withradioisotopes and radiation, but now they make available

IAEA BULLETIN, SUMMER 1986

their many other skills, putting these at the service ofgovernment, research institutes, and industrialconcerns.

These skills include modern methods of trace elementanalysis by various instrumental means; microprocessortechniques applied to measurement problems; and qual-ity control, including non-destructive testing. Thus,skills developed to support nuclear industry now areapplied in other fields as well.

Common to many of the programmes described hereis a need for accurate measurement of some parameterthat requires work with the sophistication of a researchlaboratory if the measurement is to be meaningful.Equipment that was originally developed for scientificresearch now is available in commercial form, oftenpartly automated, but to use it well still requires a dis-ciplined research approach. This is so for analyticalapparatus used in pollution studies, or for on-line analy-tical systems for industry, or in studies of fertilizer utili-zation in agriculture. It is the flexible scientific approachof the nuclear research establishment, not just its use ofradioisotopes, that the Agency's CRPs now make availa-ble for national development.

It is characteristic of the networking described herethat it can help small research teams, or even individualresearch workers, with a flexibility hardly possible inlarger schemes. Bureaucratic procedures are kept down,quick adaptations can be made. An idea picked up at ascientific conference can quickly be developed into atopic for a CRP, and the modest funding necessary tocreate a new branch of the network can soon be mobi-lized. People who have taken part in one programme area frequent source of ideas for another.

49

Topical reports

Testing to determine heavy-metal pollution in rain-water samples.(Credit: J. Daglish, IAEA)

The management of such a network needs a combina-tion of scientific and administrative skills. The IAEAwas fortunate in that it already had staff who were usedto administering the larger, more formal types of techni-cal aid, and were ready to formulate contracts, hireexperts, buy equipment, arrange meetings, and so on.The Agency's information services print and distributeproceedings of meetings.

New avenues of co-operation

The simple idea that underlay the creation of theAgency's research network was the realization that thedisciplined form of a contract, expressing clearly whatis to be done in return for a stated payment, could beadapted to build up a flexible programme of assistedresearch. A contractor entering the network knowsexactly what is expected of him, and is assured ofmodest financial support, within the time span of theprogramme, as long as he continues to contributetowards its stated goal. Part of his commitment is toproduce regular research reports. These are opened tocriticism and comment at the co-ordination meetings,which are an essential part of the scheme.

The other contracting partner, the Agency, providesan administrative secretariat, and its technical officersco-ordinate the scientific work. Their newslettersannounce proposals for further networking, inform par-ticipants of developments at the Agency's Laboratory,and report on results obtained. Some members of theAgency's technical staff first came into internationalwork through the network itself, taking part in its activi-ties while still working in their home laboratories.

The IAEA's research contract programme is an effec-tive form of networking that offers many opportunitiesto researchers in developing countries. Operating inparallel with other forms of technical aid, it is creatingnew avenues for worldwide co-operation.

MCost of service

Initiation of IDAS has met positive official response from manyMember States, and a number of facility operators have showninterest in participating. Service provided under the agreementhas been well accepted by participants, and so far no problemhas arisen on either organizational or technical aspects.

So that interested facilities may better test the usefulness ofIDAS, the Agency has decided to extend its cost-free operationuntil the end of 1986. Accordingly, from January 1987 onwards,the Agency will introduce charges to recover part of the costsincurred for provision of the service. The cost for participants ateach dose check would be about US $100.

Further information about the programme may be obtained bycontacting the IAEA Dosimetry Section, Division of Life Sciences,A-1400 Vienna, Austria.

50 IAEA BULLETIN, SUMMER 1986