Virtual Eurasia, a key to building up scientific ties among SCO member states

On February 24, 2015, the Virtual Eurasia programme was launched at the Eurasian Centre Samrau (Ufa, the Republic of Bashkortostan).

"Alongside economic integration, a single scientific, cultural and educational space is being created within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation," Konstantin Safronov, managing director of the Samrau Centre, said. "An important step in this direction is the Russian initiative to create a SCO Humanitarian Council as a standing non-governmental structure. The council is based on the Virtual Eurasia programme, designed to expand cooperation in science and education among the SCO member states."

The programme's objectives include promoting the use of virtual space and testing a broad range of remote interaction techniques to advance to a new level of international humanitarian dialogue within the framework of the SCO. The system makes it possible to remotely form research teams, participate in the distribution of grants, maintain dialogue, and write collective research papers. Another important objective of this programme is to provide a common discussion platform.

Virtual Eurasia is planning a series of international video conferences on interregional cooperation among the SCO member states with the participation of research and educational organisations from Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.