NATO-Russia Advanced Research Workshop

	NATO	Russia
	Prof. J. Bretagne, France Prof. J. Colligon, UK Prof. M.-P. Delplancke, Belgium Dr. F. Gammel, Germany Prof. L. Hultman, Sweden* Dr. P. Mayrhofer, Austria* Prof. J.J. Moore, USA Prof. J. Musil, Czech Republic Dr. J. Patscheider, Switzerland* Dr. F. Rossi, Italy Dr. R. Suchentrunk, Germany Prof. S. Veprek, Germany Dr. A. Voevodin, USA Prof. Z. Werner, Poland * NATO partner country	Prof. R.A. Andrievskii Prof. A.F. Belyanin Prof. V.I. Bogdanovich Prof. V.M. Elinson Prof. S.N. Grigor'ev Prof. V.F. Komarov Prof. E.A. Levashov Prof. Yu. V. Panfilov Prof. N.N. Gerasimenko Dr. V.G. Ral'chenko Prof. M. I. Samoilovich Prof. E.N. Sheftel Dr. D.V. Shtansky Prof. V.V. Sleptsov Prof. B.V. Spitsyn

The RARW reviewed the state-of-the-art of many topics in plasma physics and many related fields by world leaders in nanoscience. Many excellent lectures were presented within five sessions: Hard and Tribological Coatings; Recent Progress in the Development of Plasma Deposition Equipment; Film Characterization, Control of Structure and Properties; Nanopowders and Nanoparticles in Surface Engineering Technologies; Biocompatable Thin Films. Various techniques, scientific equipment and products were presented at the exhibition: “Advanced coating and surface modification technologies and film characterization facilities from Russia”. The RARW identified directions for future research, and stimulated the possibility for new close working relationships to be developed between scientists from NATO countries and Russia .

The participants of the workshop reviewed the remarkable worldwide progress and many breakthroughs in this area of fundamental science including successful new industrial applications in the fields of plasma physics, surface engineering, nanostructured thin films and nanodispersion-strengthened coatings. The participants consider that new fundamental knowledge, new materials, and industrial producting methods generated as a result of national and international projects will be of interest to the industrial sector in the USA, European Union and Russia. Further progress in these fields will be more effective if the World Scientific Community can work together to resolve remaining problems.

The RARW has been useful to encourage and facilitate collaboration between research groups in Russia and NATO using all available joint collaboration schemes. These include:

• NATO-Russia Advanced Research Workshops;
• International Science and Technology Center (ISTC);
• Sixth framework program of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities for the period 2002 to 2006 (FP6);
• INTAS;
• US Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF);
• NATO Programme for Security Through Science;
• European Program of Scientific-Technical Integration (Eureka)

The RARW agreed that Russian scientists should be more actively involved in the integrated process with the World Scientific Community including cooperative research, industrial networks, information exchange, knowledge dissemination (scientific and engineering education, technology promotion, integrated post-graduate schools, conferences, seminars etc.) . The RARW also agreed that it is very important to concentrate international activities on topics of special interest. The most following interesting and high priority technology fields were identified:

• Nanotechnologies and Nano-Science;
• Science and Engineering of Surfaces and Interfaces;
• Fundamentals of Plasma Processing-Structure-Properties Relationships;
• Biocompatible Thin Films and Interfaces;
• Multifunctional and Functionally Graded Materials;
• Nanopowders and Powder-Based Nanostructured Materials;
• Nanostructured Thin Films and Coating Systems in Practical Applications;
• Ion-Beam and Plasma-Based Deposition Techniques with High Plasma Density and Ionization;
• Techniques for Characterization of Nanostructured Materials, Coatings and Thin Films.

The RARW recommends that these high priority fields should receive special attention from the Ministry of Industry, Science and Technology of the Russian Federation, Russian Foundation of Basis Research, Ministry of Education of Russian Federation, as well as from NATO collaborative programs, various national and international foundations and industry and that research and development in these fields should be supported. Only such immediate support will bring the benefits of these materials to all members of the NATO community.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

NATO Co-Director Andrey Voevodin
Russia Co-Director Evgeny Levashov
Italy Francois Rossi
Russia Dmitry Shtansky
USA John Moore