Mexico - US Foundation for Science

Foundation for Science, which will foster collaboration in scientific and technological research, and provide training for Mexican scientific institutions. The project will ensure the Foundation"s establishment as an operational research support entity. The National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council will implement the project through its Board of Science and Technology for International Development (BOSTID). The project will enable BOSTID, the Foundation"s Executive Director, and its Board of Governors to: (1) establish management systems, policies, and procedures for the purpose of grantmaking for research and education; (2) establish a sound fiscal management system; (3) establish an endowment fund; and (4) jointly determine priority research areas that the Foundation will initially support. In addition, the Foundation will support science education, policy studies, scientific and technical literacy, and the dissemination of scientific knowledge (e.g., through computer networks, literature distribution, libraries, and scientific exchanges). The Foundation will emphasize research related to the development priorities of Mexico and to applicable agreements for cooperative research between the Governments of Mexico and the United States. It is expected that research priorities will include: (1) analyses and mitigation of air, water, and terrestrial pollution, especially activities supportive of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); (2) global climate change, forest conservation, and biodiversity; and (3) population/reproductive health. During the Foundation"s first 3 years, a major priority will be fundraising, both to increase the endowment and to operate the Foundation secretariat. The Foundation has been incorporated in the District of Columbia, and soon will be incorporated as a non-taxable "associado" in Mexico, as an independent nonprofit organization, governed by a bilateral Board of Governors with 5 members from each country. It is assumed that within a 2-3 period, the Foundation will have completed two or more grantmaking cycles, be widely known in the scientific communities of both countries, and be able to continue its operations independently. A.I.D. funds will be allocated for operational expenses (including grantmaking) and for BOSTID and Foundation secretariat expenses, not for the endowment. More specifically, A.I.D. will finance the majority of costs for the Foundation"s secretariat for the first 3 years. Mexico and the United States will share the costs of the initial grants, which will be awarded beginning late in the first, or early in the second year of operations. Thereafter grants will be awarded annually from the endowment.