The U.S.–DPRK Scientific Engagement Consortium: Fostering Scientific Collaboration with the DPRK

The U.S.–DPRK Scientific Engagement Consortium Fostering Scientific Collaboration with the DPRK

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea invited the US-DPRK Scientific Engagement Consortium to visit Pyongyang in December 2009. The 6-person delegation representing the Consortium and headed by Nobel Laureate Peter Agre facilitated and promoted a series of academic research exchanges between both countries in areas of mutual interest.

History of the Consortium In May 2007, an action-oriented Consortium was established to explore collaborative science activities between the U.S. and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). This Consortium is currently comprised of four organizations: the U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation (CRDF), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Syracuse University (SU) and The Korea Society (TKS). Collectively, the Consortium members have decades of extensive experience in successfully establishing and advancing international scientific collaborations, including with the DPRK.

U.S.–DPRK Scientific Exchange Program Expansion Workshop On May 22, 2007 approximately fifty participants took part in a workshop organized by the Consortium and held at the CRDF headquarters in Arlington, VA. They discussed shared experiences, lessons learned, successes and challenges regarding scientific collaboration with the DPRK. The participants included representatives from nine universities as well as high-level officials from the U.S. government, Congress and non-governmental organizations. Funded by

the Richard Lounsbery Foundation, the workshop demonstrated a strong interest by a number of U.S. universities to work towards collaboration with DPRK academics in a variety of key areas of scientific exchange, including agriculture, information technology and health.

Briefings and Activities The Consortium has since hosted several meetings with the U.S. State Department, key staff from the House and Senate Foreign Affairs Committees, key U.S. stakeholders, and has met with the DPRK United Nations Mission in New York City on a number of occasions. The purpose of these meetings was not only to present the findings from the U.S.–DPRK Scientific Exchange Program Expansion Workshop, but to show key decision makers and interested parties in the U.S. and in the DPRK that a coordinated approach is being taken in order to leverage the diverse resources and capabilities of several unique and complementary institutions.

The Consortium has also conducted several concurrent activities to advance mutual discussion and information-sharing on scientific engagement between the U.S. and DPRK, including a session with U.S. stakeholders at the 2008 Annual AAAS meeting in Boston; a public panel at AAAS’s 2009 Annual Meeting in Chicago featuring AAAS President and Nobel Laureate Peter Agre and other Consortium leaders and sessions with DPRK officials at both meetings.

The Consortium hopes to build on the success of its December delegation visit to Pyongyang by hosting a reciprocal exchange of DPRK scientists to the U.S. and to build on the success of the Syracuse–Kim Chaek University collaboration—with the goal of expanding to academic research exchanges and capacity building initiatives.

For more information, please contact Linda Staheli, Consortium Secretariat and Senior Staff Associate, CRDF, at 703-526-9720 or by e-mail at lstaheli@crdf.org.

Nonproliferation Programs February | 2010

The U.S.–DPRK Scientific Engagement Consortium Press Highlights: 2009 Delegation to Pyongyang, DPRK

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea invited the US-DPRK Scientific Engagement Consortium to visit Pyongyang in December 2009. The 6-person delegation representing the Consortium and headed by Nobel Laureate Peter Agre facilitated and promoted a series of academic research exchanges between both countries in areas of mutual interest.

“The U.S. and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea now have a scientific opportunity, by engaging scientists, to bridge friendships that may bring our countries closer together,” said Peter Agre, incoming president of the AAAS.

“We are hopeful that these meetings will show decisionmakers and interested parties in the U.S. and in the DPRK that progress in science engagement can be made by leveraging the diverse resources and capabilities of several unique and complementary institutions,” said Cathleen A. Campbell, president and chief executive officer of CRDF, which serves as the consortium secretariat. “We hope that our efforts will identify and support future collaborations.”

Building Trust Through Science Networks: While in Pyongyang we met with university and science policy officials as well as science researchers. We were delighted with the openness of the discussions and the mutual agreement that science is a global enterprise in which all scientists benefit from cross-border cooperation and sharing of scientific information. This was especially meaningful to us, as many said we were the first U.S. scientists they had ever met. We frankly recognized the history of mistrust between our two countries and acknowledged that our countries have distinct legal systems and that any future joint projects would need to be done in full compliance with the laws of each country.

Distinct from other delegations that travel to the DPRK for humanitarian, economic, or nonproliferation purposes, this delegation will be the first significant effort to engage in a comprehensive effort focused on science cooperation.

In addition to Agre and Campbell, the delegation members include: Maxmillian Angerholzer III, executive director, Richard Lounsbery Foundation; Linda Staheli, senior associate and consortium secretariat, CRDF; Stuart Thorson, Donald P. and Margaret Curry Gregg Professor, the Maxwell School, Syracuse University; and Vaughan Turekian, chief international officer and director, Center for Science Diplomacy, AAAS.

US scientists step up their efforts at Diplomacy. With recent visits to North Korea and Cuba, US scientists are seeking interactions with their peers to open channels of communication...In an effort in the mold of US-Soviet cold war science diplomacy, the US delegation, led by Nobel Laureate biochemist Peter Agre, broke new ground as the first attempt at scientific outreach to the politically isolated nation. physics today/physicstoday.org Forging links and making introductions between scientific communities in the United States and North Korea was the focus of the 5-day trip, a first step toward encouraging lasting collaborations between researchers in the two countries. This is the organizing principle of the US-DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) Scientific Engagement Consortium.

The delegation toured government research institutions in and around Pyongyang, as well as laboratories at 3 universities, making introductions to North Korea’s top scientists in information technology, environmental research, and life science–related fields.

For more information, please contact Linda Staheli, Consortium Secretariat and Senior Staff Associate, CRDF, at 703-526-9720 or by e-mail at lstaheli@crdf.org.

Nonproliferation Programs March | 2010