Ron and José have written a description
of the motivation and goals of the workshop.
Ron Cole & José Fortes
The radical changes in information and communication technologies that
have swept the globe in the past decade are having a profound effect
on the way people learn about and interact with the world, in the way
business people do business and the way in which scientists and
engineers do research. We are moving in rapid steps toward an age of
a single, global economy and a single, global scientific enterprise.
Although professional and national competition is as vital as ever,
cooperation and shared goals are gaining increasing importance.
Efforts to protect ecosystems and the natural environment are just one
aspect of the recognition of the importance of setting objectives
higher than individual gain in order to provide for societal gains:
Common market efforts, trade agreements, international recognition of
intellectual property rights, and international efforts at educational
reform are also reflections of the same spirit.
Today, we can only glimpse the changes that further advances in
information and communication technologies will bring. But as
scientists who are involved in the development of these technologies,
we need to look ahead and begin to create frameworks that will be
successful in guiding and managing these changes as we enter the next
millennium.
While the United States maintains a leadership position in most areas
of information and communication technologies, federal agencies
supporting computer science and engineering research have been slow to
consider and implement new policies to support international
collaboration. For example, within NSF CISE, procedures for funding
international collaboration differ from country to country, when such
opportunities exit at all. Given the global changes in communication,
commerce and collaboration driven by the growth of the Internet, now
is a good time to consider whether new policies should be considered,
and if so, what issues an integrated, comprehensive policy must
address.
As a start toward understanding the globalization of science and
engineering, and specifically of computer and communication research,
NSF has recommended support for this Workshop on International
Collaboration in Computer Science. The workshop brings together
recognized leaders and visionary young investigators to discuss what
is happening internationally, what is anticipated, and what steps
should the community in general, and NSF in particular, take to guide
rather than be swept up (or aside) by the forces of globalization.
Our hope is to arrive at a deeper understanding of the benefits of
international collaboration, the benefits and costs associated with
these activities, and to recommend ways to increase opportunities and
optimize future benefits.
Among the questions that will be considered at the workshop are:
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What are the main benefits and risks of international collaboration to
the United States? (e.g., How do we balance the benefits of
international collaboration with national priorities?) What are the
benefits to the individual researchers?
-
What are the costs and risks to to individual researchers?
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What is the extent of international collaboration in CSE within the US?
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What are the existing opportunities for international collaboration?
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What mechanisms support these opportunities?
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What steps can be taken to increase opportunities for
international collaboration, and improve awareness of
these opportunities?
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What are the main barriers to international collaboration?
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How can these barriers be removed?
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What steps can NSF take to best serve the needs of the computer
science and engineering community as globalization proceeds?
The workshop participants will produce a report summarizing their
discussions, and providing
detailed set of recommendations on ways to advance knowledge through
international collaboration. Examples of recommendations that may
be considered include:
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Having an international meeting of international leaders
to create consistent national policies to support (and remove current
barriers to) international collaboration;
-
Creating a registry of known international collaborations in CSE;
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Creating a repository of opportunities for international collaboration
(U.S. Government, Foreign Governments, Foundations, etc) ;
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Surveying existing international electronic forums and news groups in CSE,
and create new ones if needed;
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Creating virtual international centers
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Promoting increased international roles for professional societies
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Facilitating international travel and collaborations
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Promoting educational opportunities
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Creating new initiatives with specific international dimensions
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Workshops 
