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significant obstacles still exist which must be overcome 

 if the full benefits of international cooperation are to be 

 realized. Among the obstacles are: 



— A significant problem we have is the difficulty of making 

 long-term commitments. As a result of some significant past 

 programmatic changes in areas involving international cooper- 

 ation, the Department is perceived overseas as somewhat unpre- 

 dictable and unreliable. Unlike most other countries, we 

 operate on an annual budget, which on occasion can result in 

 unexpected, sudden and major changes in direction. 



— We are exploring new ground. We are moving beyond the past 

 practice of responding to opportunities and requests for 

 cooperation. As we seek out and take advantage of the capabil- 

 ities overseas by planning collaborative programs on an inter- 

 national basis, we must recognize, and hopefully adjust, some 

 of our policies and procedures regarding international R&D 

 cooperation to minimize administrative impediments. National 

 laws, regulations and policies were not made with extensive 

 international collaboration in mind. For example, cross 

 participation in projects through the provision of scientific 

 equipment and components for major facilities is currently 

 hampered in some instances by tariffs and taxes which are not 

 compatible with the time frame of the collaboration. Exchange 

 of scientific staff for periods of several years will benefit 



