2000/742/EC: Agreement on cooperation in science and technology between the European Community and the Government of the Russian Federation
Date: 2000-11-16
Institutions: European Community, Russia
Subjects: Russia, cooperation agreement (EU), scientific cooperation, technical cooperation

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on cooperation in science and technology between the European Community and the Government
of the Russian Federation

AGREEMENT

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY (hereinafter ‘the Community’),

of the one part, and

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION,

of the other part,

hereinafter referred to as the ‘Parties’,

CONSIDERING the importance of science and technology for their economic and social development,

RECOGNISING that the Community and the Russian Federation are pursuing research and technological activities in a
number of areas of common interest, and that participation in each other's research and development activities on a basis
of reciprocity will provide mutual benefits,

HAVING REGARD to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement concluded between the European Communities and
their Member States of the one part, and the Russian Federation of the other part, signed on 24 June 1994, and in
particular to Article 62 thereof,

DESIRING to establish a formal basis for cooperation in scientific and technological research which will extend and
strengthen the conduct of cooperative activities in areas of common interest and encourage the application of the results
of such cooperation to the economic and social benefits of the Parties,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Purpose

Article 3

Principles

The Parties shall encourage, develop and facilitate cooperative
activities in fields of common interest where they are pursuing
research and development activities in science and technology.

Cooperative activities shall be conducted on the basis of the
following principles:

Article 2

Definitions

For tle purpose of this Agreement:

(a) ‘Cooperative activity’ means any activity which the Parties
to this Agreement, and

undertake or support pursuant
includes joint research;

(b) ‘Information’ means scientific or technical data, results or
methods of research and development stemming from joint
research and any other data relating to cooperative
activities;

(c) ‘Intellectual property’ shall have the meaning defined in
Article 2 of the Convention establishing the World Intellec-
tual Property Organisation, done at Stockholm on 14 July
1967;

(d) ‘Joint research’ means research implemented with financial
support from one or both Parties and that involves collab-
oration by participants from both the Community and the
Russian Federation;

(e) ‘Participant’ means any person,

legal entity, university,
research institute or any other body participating in a
cooperative activity, including, where appropriate, Agencies
and official bodies of the Parties themselves.

(a) mutual benefit;

(b) timely exchange of information which may affect cooper-

ative activities;

(c) balanced realisation of economic and social benefits by the
Community and the Russian Federation in view of the
contribution made to cooperative activities by the respec-
tive participants and/or Parties.

Article 4

Areas of cooperative activities

(a) Cooperation may be pursued in research,

technological
development and demonstration activities, including basic
research,

in the following:

— environment and climate research,

including earth

observation,

— biomedical and health research,

— agriculture, forestry and fisheries research,

— industrial and production technologies,

— materials research and metrology,

— non-nuclear energy,

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— transportation,

— information society technologies,

— social sciences research,

— science and technology policy,

— training and mobility of scientists.

(b) Other areas may be added to this list upon review and
recommendation by the Joint Community-Russia Com-
mittee mentioned in Article 6, in accordance with proced-
ures in force of each Party.

Article 5

Forms of cooperative activities

(a) Cooperation may include the following activities:

1. participation of Russian entities in Community projects,
in the areas of cooperative activities, and a reciprocal
participation of entities established in the Community in
Russian projects in those areas. Such participation shall
be subject to the laws, rules, regulations and procedures
in force for each Party. Projects may also include a
organisations;
Party's
projects may also be undertaken in cooperation by the
Agencies and official bodies of the Parties;

technological

scientific

and

2. free access to, and shared use of research facilities,
including installations and sites for monitoring, observa-
tion and experimentation, as well as data collections,
relevant to the cooperative activities;

3. visits and exchanges of scientists, engineers, or other
appropriate personnel for the purposes of participating
in seminars,
to
symposia and workshops
cooperation under this Agreement;

relevant

4. exchange of information on practices, laws, regulations
to cooperation under this

and programmes relevant
Agreement;

5. other activities as may be mutually determined by the
Parties in accordance with the applicable policies and
programmes of the Parties.

(b) Joint research projects shall proceed under this Agreement
only after the participants in a project have concluded a
technology management plan, as indicated in the
joint
Annex 1 to this Agreement which forms an integral part
thereof.

(c) The Parties may jointly pursue cooperative activities with

third parties.

Article 6

Coordination and facilitation of cooperative activities

(a) In order to coordinate and facilitate cooperation activities
under this Agreement
the Parties will establish a Joint
Community-Russia Committee on cooperation in the field

of science and technology, hereinafter called the ‘Commit-
tee’.

(b) The function of the Committee shall

include:

1. overseeing and promoting the activities envisaged under

the Agreement;

2. making recommendations pursuant to Article 4(b);

3. proposing activities pursuant to Article 5(a)(5);

4. advising the Parties on ways to enhance cooperation
consistent with the principles set out in this Agreement;

5. annually providing a report on the status and effective-
ness of cooperation undertaken under this Agreement;

6. reviewing the efficient and effective functioning of the

Agreement;

7. taking account of the importance of regional aspects of

the cooperation.

(c) The Committee shall meet once a year, meetings being held
alternately in the Community and the Russian Federation.
Extraordinary meetings may be held as mutually agreed.

(d) The Committee shall consist of a limited equal number of
official representatives of each Party; it shall establish its
own rules of procedure, subject to approval by the Parties.
Decisions of the Committee shall be reached by consensus.
Minutes, comprising a record of decisions and principal
points discussed, shall be taken at each meeting and shall
be agreed by those persons selected from each side to
jointly chair the meeting. The Committee annual report will
be made available to the Cooperation Council and the
Cooperation Committee established under the EU-Russia
Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and appropriate
authorities of each Party.

Article 7

Funding and exemptions from taxes

(a) Cooperative activities shall be subject to the availability of
funds and to the applicable laws and regulations, policies
and programmes of
the Community and the Russian
Federation. As a rule, each Party shall bear the costs of
this Agreement,
responsibilities under
discharging its
including costs of participation in meetings of
the
Committee.

(b) When specific cooperative schemes of one Party provide
for financial support to participants from the other Party,
any such grants, financial or other contributions from one
Party to the participants of the other Party in support of
those activities shall be granted tax and customs prefer-
ences in accordance with the laws and regulations applic-
able to each Party.

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Article 8

Entry of personnel and equipment

This shall not prevent the conduct of cooperative activities on
the high seas, outer space on the territory of third countries, in
accordance with international

laws.

Each Party shall take all reasonable steps and use its best
efforts, in accordance with its laws and regulations, to facilitate
entry to, stay in and exit from its territory of persons, material,
data and equipment involved in or used in cooperative activi-
ties under this Agreement.

Article 9

Information and intellectual property

The dissemination and utilisation of information, and manage-
ment, allocation and exercise of intellectual property rights,
resulting from joint research under this Agreement, shall be
subject to the provisions of the Annex 2 to this Agreement.

Article 10

Other agreements and transitional provisions

1.
This Agreement is without prejudice to other existing
Agreements or arrangements between the Parties or any Agree-
ment or arrangement between the Parties and third parties.

2.
The Parties shall endeavour to bring under the terms of
this Agreement those existing arrangements for scientific and
technological cooperation between the Community and the
Russian Federation that fall under the scope of Article 4 of this
Agreement.

Article 11

Territorial application

Article 12

Entry into force, termination, settlement of disputes

(a) This Agreement shall enter into force on the date on which
the Parties have notified each other in writing that their
respective internal procedures necessary for its entry into
force have been completed.

(b) This Agreement shall be concluded for an initial period
ending 31 December 2002 and will be renewable by
common agreement between the Parties for additional
periods of five years.

(c) This Agreement can be terminated at any time by either
Party upon a six month's written notice. The expiration or
termination of this Agreement shall not affect the validity
or duration of any arrangements made under it, or any
specific rights and obligations that have accrued in compli-
ance with the Annexes.

(d) This Agreement may be amended by agreement of the
Parties. Amendments shall enter into force on the date on
which the Parties have notified each other in writing that
their respective internal procedures necessary for amending
this Agreement have been completed.

(e) All disputes related to the interpretation or implementation
of this Agreement shall be settled by mutual agreement
between the Parties.

Article 13

This Agreement shall apply, on the one hand, to the territories
in which the Treaty establishing the European Community is
applied and under the conditions laid down in that Treaty, and
on the other hand, to the territory of the Russian Federation.

This Agreement is drawn up in duplicate in the Danish, Dutch,
English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese,
Russian, Spanish and Swedish languages, each of these texts
being equally authentic.

Hecho en Bruselas, el dieciséis de noviembre del año dos mil.

Udfærdiget i Bruxelles den sekstende november to tusind.

Geschehen zu Brüssel am sechzehnten November zweitausend.

Έγινε στις Βρυξέλλες, στις δέκα έξι Νοεµβρίου δύο χιλιάδες.

Done at Brussels on the sixteenth day of November in the year two thousand.

Fait à Bruxelles,

le seize novembre deux mille.

Fatto a Bruxelles, addì sedici novembre duemila.

Gedaan te Brussel, de zestiende november tweeduizend.

Feito em Bruxelas, em dezasseis de Novembro de dois mil.

Tehty Brysselissä kuudentenatoista päivänä marraskuuta vuonna kaksituhatta.

Som skedde i Bryssel den sextonde november tjugohundra.

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Por la Comunidad Europea

På Det Europæiske Fællesskabs vegne

Für die Europäische Gemeinschaft

Για την Ευρωπαϊκή Κοινότητα

For the European Community

Pour la Communauté européenne

Per la Comunità europea

Voor de Europese Gemeenschap

Pela Comunidade Europeia

Euroopan yhteisön puolesta

På Europeiska gemenskapens vägnar

Por el Gobierno de la Federación de Rusia

På vegne af regeringen for Den Russiske Føderation

Für die Regierung der Russischen Föderation

Για την Κυβέρνηση της Ρωσικής Οµοσπονδίας

For the Government of the Russian Federation

Pour le gouvernement de la Fédération de Russie

Per il governo della Federazione russa

Voor de regering van de Russische Federatie

Pelo Governo da Federação da Rússia

Venäjän federaation hallituksen puolesta

På Ryska federationens regerings vägnar

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ANNEX 1

INDICATIVE FEATURES OF A TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT PLAN

The Technology Management Plan (TMP) is a specific agreement to be concluded between the participants about the
implementation of joint research and the respective rights and obligations of the participants.

With respect to intellectual property, the TMP will normally address, among other things, ownership, protection, user
rights for research and development purposes, exploitation and dissemination, including arrangemnts for joint publica-
tion, the rights and obligations of visiting researchers and dispute settlement procedures. The TMP may also address
foreground and background information,

licensing and deliverables.

The TMPs shall be developed taking into account the aims of the joint research, the relative financial or other
contributions of the Parties or participants, the advantages and disadvantages of licensing by territory or for fields of use,
the transfer of export-controlled data, goods or services, requirements imposed by the applicable laws and other factors
deemed appropriate by the participants.

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ANNEX 2

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Pursuant to Article 9 of the present Agreement, rights to information and intellectual property created or furnished under
the Agreement shall be allocated as provided in this Annex.

I. Application

This Annex is applicable to joint research undertaken pursuant to this Agreement, except as otherwise agreed by the
Parties.

II. Ownership, allocation and exercise of rights

1. This Annex addresses the allocation of rights and interests of the Parties and their participants. Each Party and its
participants shall ensure that the other Party and its participants may obtain the rights to intellectual property
allocated to it in accordance with this Annex. This Annex does not otherwise alter or prejudice the allocation of
rights, interests and royalties between a Party and its nationals or participants, which shall be determined by the
laws and practices applicable to each Party.

2. The following principles shall apply and shall be provided for in the contractual arrangements:

(a) Adequate protection of intellectual property (IP). The Parties and/or their participants, as appropriate, shall
ensure that they notify one another within a reasonable time of the creation of any intellectual property
arising under this Agreement or implementing arrangements and to seek protection for such intellectual
property in a timely fashion.

(b) Taking account of the contributions of the Parties or their participants in determining the rights and interests

of the Parties and participants.

(c) Effective exploitation of results.

(d) Non-discriminatory treatment of participants from the other party as compared with the treatment given to

its own participants.

(e) Protection of confidential

information.

3. The participants shall jointly develop a Technology Management Plan (TMP) in respect of the ownership and use,
including publication, of information and IP to be created in the course of joint research. The indicative features
of a TMP are contained in the Annex 1 to this Agreement. The TMP shall be approved by the responsible funding
agency or department of the Party involved in financing the research, before the conclusion of the specific
research and development cooperation contracts to which they are attached.

4. Information or IP created in the course of joint research and not addressed in the TMP shall be allocated, with the
approval of the Parties, according to the principles set out in the TMP. In case of disagreement, such information
or IP shall be owned jointly by all the participants involved in the joint research from which the information or IP
results. Each participant to whom this provision applies shall have the right to use such information or IP for his
own exploitation with no geographical

limitation.

5. While maintaining the conditions of competition in areas affected by the Agreement, each Party shall endeavour
to ensure that rights acquired pursuant to this Agreement and arrangements made under it are exercised in such a
way as to encourage,

in particular:

(a) the dissemination and use of information created, disclosed or otherwise made available, under the Agree-

ment, and

(b) the adoption and implementation of international technical standards.

6. Termination or expiry of this Agreement shall not affect rights or obligations under this Annex.

III. Copyright works

Contractual and other implementing arrangements shall provide for treatment of copyright belonging to the Parties or
to their participants consistent with the Berne Convention for the protection of literary and artistic work (Paris Act
1971).

IV. Scientific literary works

Without prejudice to Section V, and unless otherwise agreed in the TMP, publication of results of research shall be
made jointly by the Parties or participants to that joint research. Subject to the foregoing general rule, the following
procedures shall apply:

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1. In the case of publication by a Party or public bodies of that Party of scientific and technical Journals, articles,
reports, books, including video and software arising from joint research pursuant to this Agreement, the other
Party or public bodies of that Party shall be entitled within the limits specified within the TMP to a worldwide,
non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free licence to translate, reproduce, adapt, transmit and publicly distribute such
works.

2. The Parties shall ensure that literary works of a scientific character arising from joint research pursuant to this

Agreement shall be disseminated as widely as possible.

3. All copies of a copyright work to be publicly distributed and prepared under this provision shall indicate the
names of the author(s) of the work unless an author(s) explicitly declines to be named. They shall also bear a
clearly visible acknowledgement of the cooperative support of the Parties.

V. Undisclosed information

A. Documentary undisclosed information

1. Each Party and its participants, as appropriate, shall identify at the earliest possible moment and preferably in
the technology management plan the information that they wish to remain undisclosed, taking into account,
inter alia, the following criteria:

(a) confidentiality of the information in the sense that it is not, as a body or in the precise configuration or
assembly of its components, generally known among or readily accessible by lawful means to experts in
the field;

(b) the actual or potential commercial value of the information by virtue of its confidentiality;

(c) previous protection of the information in the sense that it has been subject to steps that were reasonable

under the circumstances by the person lawfully in control, to maintain its confidentiality.

The Parties and their participants, as appropriate, may in certain cases agree that, unless otherwise indicated,
parts or all of the information provided, exchanged or created in the course of joint research may not be
disclosed.

2. Each Party shall ensure that it and its participants clearly identify undisclosed information, for example by
means of an appropriate marking or restrictive legend. This also applies to any reproduction of the said
information,

in whole or in part.

A Party and a participant receiving undisclosed information shall respect the privileged nature thereof. These
limitations shall automatically terminate when this information is disclosed by the owner into the public
domain.

3. Undisclosed information communicated under the Agreement and received from the other Party, may be
disseminated by the receiving Party to persons within or employed by the receiving Party and other
concerned departments or agencies of the receiving Party authorised for the specific purposes of the joint
research underway, provided that any undisclosed information so disseminated shall be pursuant to an
agreement of confidentiality and shall be readily recognisable as such, as set out above.

4. With the prior written consent of the Party providing undisclosed information, the receiving Party may
disseminate such undisclosed information more widely than otherwise permitted in point 3 of the present
section. The Parties shall cooperate in developing procedures for requesting and obtaining prior written
consent for such wider dissemination, and each Party will grant such approval to the extent permitted by its
domestic policies, regulations and laws.

B. Non-documentary undisclosed information

Non-documentary undisclosed or other confidential
information provided in seminars and other meetings
arranged under this Agreement, or information arising from the attachment of staff, use of facilities, or joint
projects, shall be treated by the Parties or their participants according to the principles specified for documentary
information in this Annex provided however that the recipient of such undisclosed or other confidential or
privileged information has been made aware of the confidential character of the information communicated at the
time such communication is made.

C. Control

Each Party shall endeavour to ensure that undisclosed information received by it under this Agreement shall be
controlled as provided herein. If one of the Parties becomes aware that it will be, or may be reasonably expected
to become, unable to meet the non-dissemination provisions of subsections A and B of the present Section, it
shall immediately inform the other Party. The Parties shall thereafter consult to define an appropriate course of
action.