Science and Security Initiative established

In July 2002, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation allocated more than $40 million to establish the Science, Technology, and Security Initiative. The program is intended to "increase the pool of independent experts able to provide scientific and technical advice on issues related to international security policy." It will do so through grants made annually to university and research centers in countries able to play a critical role in reducing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, according to the foundation. Grant recipients, who will be chosen over the next six years, already include twenty-two organizations from the United States, China, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Russia.

The largest initial awards are to Stanford University Center for International Security and Cooperation and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, both awarded grants of $1.35 million over three years. The Stanford center will use the money for research related to nuclear weapons and material security issues, including investigations of nuclear smuggling. Illinois will expand the issues addressed in its arms control program to include consideration of biological and chemical agents. Other institutions awarded grants of $1 million or more include Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, the Georgia Institute of Technology's Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, and Princeton University's Program on Science and Global Security.