Cooperation with Central
and Eastern European Countries

by Keith Jeffery

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With the rapid political changes at the end of the eighties, although some had managed to build contacts during the communist era, it became easier for scientists and engineers of European Union (EU) country institutes to work with colleagues from Central and Eastern European countries. The quality of computer science, especially formal computer science, in Central and Eastern Euopean institutions had been, and is, formidable. Clearly, there was (and is) benefit for institutions in EU countries in closer cooperation to utilise complementary skills and build links to accomplish better computer science.

RAL had the pleasure of hosting a visit of some scientists from the Czech Republic in 1991 funded by the British Council. The 'return match' was for three of us from RAL to give invited talks in 1992 at SOFSEM, the computer science winter school / conference of the (then) Czechoslovakian Computer Society. From that grew:

• exchange of ideas and experiences on many aspects of computer science from parallelisation and software engineering to databases and digital libraries involving scientists from several Czech institutions and from various groups at RAL
• proposals for joint projects emerged between some of them (eg Hyper-medata, see article in this issue)
• involvement with SOFSEM both in proposing as invited speakers (and persuading to attend) various colleagues from ERCIM institutes and associated universities and also in helping (in the committee structure of the conference) to evolve it into a fully international conference
• bringing the Czech Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (CRCIM) into ERCIM.

Meantime, our Hungarian colleagues at SZTAKI had already applied to join ERCIM and did so successfully in 1995. They are already closely involved in ERCIM Working Groups and project proposals in a variety of topics. They in turn helped greatly in the process of bringing CRCIM into ERCIM six months later in 1996. András Siegler from SZTAKI in particular, has been most active not only with promoting Central and Eastern European interests within ERCIM but also working with Jean-Michel Chassériaux from the ERCIM Office to participate in EC-supported conferences concerning coordination with CEE (see article in ERCIM News 25, and the Forum on Information Society in this issue)

ERCIM has had two contracts under the INTAS programme and ­p; utilising INRIA and GMD contact points in Moscow ­p; has pushed forward links with Russian colleagues working in informatics and mathematics.

In the near future, CRCIM are hosting the ERCIM meetings of November 1996
in Prague. As well as the meetings of the ERCIM Directors, the Executive Committee and the usual familiarisation day (during the period November 6-8) there is also planned a meeting of the ERCIM Database Research Group (4-5 November).

Looking further ahead, there are already some preliminary discussions with colleagues in Slovakia, Poland and Bulgaria. I anticipate excellent continuing cooperation with our CEE colleagues within ERCIM.

Please contact:
Keith Jeffery - CLRC
Tel: +44 235 44 6103
E-mail: kgj@inf.rl.ac.uk