VZCZCXRO3490
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHVK
RUEHYG
DE RUEHNT #1385 2151314
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031316Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1227
INFO CIS COLLECTIVE
EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0077
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0107
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0286
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0222
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0219
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0222
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0273
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT

UNCLAS TASHKENT 001385 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN 
DEPARTMENT FOR OES (PATRICK HUDAK AND NINA FITE) 
EMBASSY ASTANA FOR BRUCE HUDSPETH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PREL TSPL ETTC KTIA KIPR KSTC UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEK S&T: STATUS OF STCU AND ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER 
AGENCY 
 
REF: TASHKENT 1151 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  OES/STC Officer Michael C. Schena (ESToff) 
visited Uzbekistan from June 1 through July 6 to discuss Uzbek 
Science and Technology (S&T) infrastructure and to continue 
negotiations on a U.S.-Uzbek S&T Cooperation Agreement 
(reftel). This cable briefly comments on the status of the 
Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU) and the role 
of the Technology Transfer Agency.  END SUMMARY 
 
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER IN UKRAINE (STCU) 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Uzbekistan signed a formal accession to the STCU 
Agreement on December 29, 1997.  During 1997-2008, STCU 
science funding represented a majority portion of Uzbekistan's 
R&D budget.  In total, the STCU funded over 100 projects in 
Uzbekistan with the cumulative total funding reaching 
approximately USD 13 million. Some 12,000 scientists from 50 
organizations participated in STCU supported projects in 
Uzbekistan. 
 
¶3. (SBU) ESToff met with Regina Sattarova, Uzbekistan Office 
Manager for STCU, who said that STCU has operated in 
cooperation with Uzbek scientists with a focus on moving 
former weapons scientists into innovative civilian fields. 
STCU's cooperation with Uzbekistan has been second only to 
Ukraine.  Projects have focused on energy, agriculture, 
medical isotopes, water, cereal production, biotech and 
chemistry.  STCU's highpoint was in 2004 with a total of 534 
projects totaling $2.5 million USD in award funding. 
 
¶4. (SBU) STCU was decertified by the GOU in 2006 and funding 
for 2007 fell to $500,000 USD.  This fall is in part because 
the GOU blocks the STCU website, thereby denying scientists' 
access to STCU resources.  Sattarova said she will contact 
STCU offices in Kyiv to discuss the possibility of STCU 
working within the framework of the S&T Cooperation Agreement 
(reftel) to support US-Uzbek collaborative projects in which a 
USG Agency is a partner or supporting contributor. 
 
¶5. (SBU) COMMENT:  The blocking and effective shutting down of 
STCU operations in Uzbekistan is bemoaned by almost all Uzbek 
scientists.  Whenever Post personnel meet with Uzbek 
scientists, the subject of the important role STCU played in 
supporting Uzbek science almost always comes up.  END COMMENT. 
 
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AGENCY (TTA) 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) TTA is a self-sustained company owned by the GOU.  It 
was founded in 1996 to promote technology transfer and 
facilitate trade.  TTA focuses on dissemination of technology 
research to industry and on commercialization. 
 
¶7. (SBU) ESToff met with Mr. Yulbars Musaev, Director, and Dr. 
Gulnara Rashidova, Deputy Director.  Rashidova explained that 
TTA had been moved from the S&T Committee and is now under the 
Ministry of Economy.  In this move TTA will take on additional 
responsibilities including commercialization projects, 
establishment of an Intellectual Property Regime of 
Uzbekistan, and a technology transfer regime.  This will be in 
addition to TTA's current role of promoting renewable energy 
solutions in Uzbekistan with a particular focus on rural 
regions.  TTA has had successful international collaborations 
and was the local partner for the US Carnegie Funds' "School 
in a Box" project recently completed in Tajikistan.  Rashidova 
requested that ESToff look to work with USTR, USPTO, and USTDA 
to help establish a workshop under the S&T Agreement to assist 
Uzbekistan in establishing Intellectual Property rules and 
regulations. 
BUTCHER