The Malta Conferences: Fostering International Scientific

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Chapter 8

The Malta Conferences: Fostering International Scientific Collaborations Toward Peace in the Middle East Morton Z. Hoffman*,1 and Zafra M. Lerman2 1Treasurer,

Malta Conferences Foundation, Department of Chemistry, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 2President, Malta Conferences Foundation, 1911 Grant Street, Evanston, Illinois 60201 *E-mail: [email protected].

The Malta Conferences, formally known as “Frontiers of Science: Research and Education in the Middle East,” have taken place biennially since 2003, at which approximately 85 scientists and science educators, including students and early-career scientists, from 15 Middle Eastern nations (Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates) meet for five days with six Nobel Laureates. The purpose of the Conferences is to provide a forum for the discussion of scientific and educational issues of importance to the region and the world that transcend geopolitical boundaries and international politics, and for the development of collaborations among the participants. The topics that are discussed include air and water quality, renewable energy sources, bio-medicinal chemistry, nanotechnology and material science, chemistry safety and security, and chemistry education at all levels. The Conferences are dedicated to the use of science diplomacy as a bridge toward peace in that troubled and very important region of the world. They feature plenary lectures by the Nobel Laureates, workshops, oral and poster presentations by participants from the Middle East, and ample time for everyone to make personal and professional connections. The result over the past decade

© 2015 American Chemical Society Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


has been the establishment of international cooperation in areas of basic and applied research that hold promise for the development of innovative products, processes, and educational resources. Prior to 2011, the Conferences were organized by a committee with representatives from the American Chemical Society (ACS), the Royal Society of Chemisry of Great Britain (RSC), the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), and the German Chemical Society (GDCh); since that time, they have been organized by the Malta Conferences Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization incorporated in Washington, DC www.MaltaConferencesFoundation.org/.

Introduction Instability and uncertainty in the Middle East, combined with water scarcity, global climate change, nuclear proliferation, and the lack of civil society, create a growing threat to the world. The political and economic climate currently shared by the nations in the region is grave. Events burst into violence almost daily, consuming lives and resources while threatening a far wider conflagration. Yet, within these countries, there are people who do the work of science and science education at universities and national institutes, and hunger to know their colleagues from across the forbidden borders and learn about the results of their research. This genuine desire on the part of concerned individuals to improve the quality of life and political stability in the Middle East could be addressed by identifying unique opportunities for collaboration among them to solve environmental, scientific, and educational problems. In this article, we examine the nature of scientific collaboration and our attempt to use science diplomacy as a bridge to peace in the Middle East.

Scientific Collaboration Anyone who has been engaged in a scientific collaboration immediately recognizes the characteristics that make it a rewarding and enjoyable experience. At the beginning, the collaborative partners bring to the scholarly problem a commonality of interests, perspectives, and goals. The act of collaboration demands interdependence with regard to talents, skills, and resources. During the collaboration, connectivity via telephone, electronic methods, and face-to-face meetings is essential. Because of the closeness that develops, the collaboration could well evolve into a friendship, which the participants must be willing to undertake. The essential ingredients for a successful collaboration are trust, understanding, commitment, and the willingness to resolve conflicts and disagreements in a civilized manner. Given the situation in the Middle East where nations are in conflict with each other, themselves, and amorphous entities, how would it be possible for scientists in that region of the world, however well-meaning they might be, to establish and maintain collaborations? Would any right-minded persons want to do that, and 82 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.

would their governments permit them to do so? With the economic and political uncertainties, from what sources could the funding come in order to sustain crossborder collaborations?


The Middle East and Science Diplomacy The Middle East is an area that has been in continuous turmoil for millennia; its current instability stretches westward into Northern Africa and eastward into South-Central Asia. The borders of many of the Middle East nations exist as the result of tribal and ethnic demarcations, wars, and bartering among powerful countries from outside the region to protect their own economic and political interests. At the epicenter of the continuing tension is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which, as recent events have shown, does not appear to be simmering down. In the view of some in the region, the universal commonality of science makes it one of the few human endeavors that can bridge conflict and peace over very troubled waters. If science, as a diplomatic tool, can get representatives of nations of the Middle East to talk to each other in civil dialogue, perhaps the tensions can be ameliorated, at least to some degree, over time. However, for science diplomacy to be effective, it must focus on specific activities that could lead to results the parties involved would find useful. As was stated in a recent editorial in Science, “Science diplomacy can facilitate addressing science-based questions whose answers are impeded because political relationships limit official interactions between the countries (1).” The challenge then becomes to define those science-based questions and create a mechanism that encourages dialogue despite the limited (or unpermitted) official interactions.

The Malta Conferences During the 1990s, some members of the ACS Subcommittee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights of the International Activities Committee, who had worked actively on behalf of the prisoners of conscience in the Soviet Union and believed strongly that it is the responsibility of scientists to use their status with their governments for the purpose of peace, turned their attention to the continuing and ever-growing turmoil in the Middle East. They reasoned that if scientists from countries in conflict could come together, leave politics aside, and talk about scientific problems of mutual interest, a positive direction toward some semblance of stability might be achieved. Such a conference would have the following aims: • • •

To provide a forum where scientists from countries of the Middle East can explore what unites rather than separates them; To provide a forum where there are opportunities to develop activities that require cooperation among the partners to solve regional problems; To reduce the level of personal animosity that exists in the region and the tendency to demonize the unknown other. 83

Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


In 2000, as a conference was being organized and the logistical problems (location, venue, funding, identifying the participants, etc.) were being resolved, the Second Intifada, a period of intense violence between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, began, giving new impetus to efforts to hold a meeting that would foster close scientific and personal engagement, facilitate networking, and encourage the development of collaborations. The format of that conference, which was held in 2003, was carefully developed to maximize interactions, minimize distractions, and create a “level playing field” for the participants from the different cultural and economic environments. Because of security concerns, especially after 9/11, only carefully vetted participants would be invited and no “accompanying persons” would be allowed; furthermore, the location of the meeting would be in “neutral territory” outside the Middle East, yet near enough for ease of transportation. Working with a conference company with a great deal of experience in the Middle East, the organizing committee chose the Hilton Hotel on the Mediterranean island of Malta for having the requisite security arrangements; Malta, then not a member of the European Union, was able to guarantee entry for the participants although some had visa difficulties when making their flight connections at airports within E.U. countries. The format of that conference, “Frontiers of Chemical Sciences: Research and Education in the Middle East,” proved to be very successful, and has remained relatively constant over the past decade through the five subsequent biennial five-day meetings: plenary lectures by Nobel Laureates, keynote talks by other distinguished scientists, topical workshops with oral and poster presentations by the participants, and close contact at meals, sessions, and social activities. The conference, which was described in Chemical & Engineering News (2) and Chemistry International (3), brought together 35 chemists and chemical engineers from ten Middle East countries (Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates), six Nobel Laureate plenary speakers (Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, France; Dudley Herschbach, U.S.; Roald Hoffmann, U.S.; Yuan T. Lee, Taiwan; Jean-Marie Lehn, France; Rudolph Marcus, U.S.), and representatives of the cosponsoring organizations: ACS, IUPAC, and RSC. In addition, Herman Winick (U.S.), Peter Atkins (U.K.), and Charles Kolb (U.S.) gave keynote lectures. Workshops with oral and poster presentations by the participants were held on the following topics: Materials and Polymer Science; Cultural Heritage and Preservation of Antiquities; Environment, Water, and Renewable Energy; Research and New Methodologies in Science Education; Medicinal and Natural Products; Research and Technology Transfer for Economies in Transition. Totally unexpectedly, two collaborative initiatives were announced at the end of the conference. Yitzhak Apeloig, president of Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, offered three scholarships for students from Middle East countries to study at that institution, and Yuan T. Lee provided three one-year fellowships for Middle East scientists to perform research at the synchrotron light source in Taiwan to support advanced training of young scientists at SESAME, the new synchrotron facility that was under construction in Jordan with UNESCO support. 84 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


The atmosphere of the conference, which at the start was rather tense, evolved soon into the camaraderie of a summer camp with many emotional goodbyes at the end. The participants enthusiastically endorsed the idea of holding a second conference in 2005, and it was clear that this experiment in science diplomacy had succeeded beyond expectation. The site of the first meeting gave its name to the series: the Malta Conferences. Malta-I on December 6-11, 2003, was followed by Malta-II, also in Malta, on November 5-10, 2005 (4–6). Malta-III took place in Istanbul on December 8-13, 2007 (7–10); Malta-IV was held in Amman, Jordan, on November 14-19, 2009 (11, 12). UNESCO invited Malta-V to its headquarters in Paris on December 4-9, 2011 to be one of the concluding events of the International Year of Chemistry (13, 14). In addition to the Nobel Laureates who were at Malta-I, the following have also attended, many of them more than once: Aaron Ciechanover (Israel), Richard Ernst (Switzerland), Robert Grubbs (U.S.), Tim Hunt (U.K.), Walter Kohn (U.S.), F. Sherwood Rowland (U.S.), Ada Yonath (Israel), and Dan Shechtman (Israel), who, interestingly, was a participant at Malta-I before receiving the Nobel Prize. Other distinguished keynote speakers have been HRH Prince Hassan (Jordan), Irina Bokova (Director-General, UNESCO), George Abela (President, Malta), Michael Grätzel (Switzerland), Heinz Hötzel (Germany), David Reinhoudt (Netherlands), and Omar Yaghi (U.S.). Prior to 2011, the organizing committees of some of the Conferences included representatives from GDCh.

Malta-VI Malta-VI, the most recent conference, took place in Malta on November 10-15, 2013 (15–20). Over the course of the past decade, scientists from five more countries have been added to the list of participants: Bahrain, Iraq, Libya, Qatar, and Syria. As the scope of the Malta Conferences has broadened to include countries in North Africa, the number of participants attending has swelled; more than 80 individuals were at Malta-VI, including 20 women (Figure 1). Interest in attending the Conference has remained very high despite the obstacles many have to overcome (e.g., inability to get an entrance visa or an exit permit, unpredictable bureaucratic decisions, unanticipated hostilities); repeat participants often state that the experience is one of the high points of their professional and personal lives. The workshop topics have also evolved over the decade with the change in the interests of the participants. At Malta-VI, the following workshops examined scientific, educational, and regional issues. Chemistry and Bio-Medicinal Chemistry A wide range of topics were explored in this workshop, including cancer therapy, tumor markers, HIV activity, and myocardial infarction, as well as chemical synthesis and computational studies. Of great interest was a presentation 85 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


on clinical trials on the analysis of breath samples for the early detection of lung cancer in which chemical nanoarrays and GC-MS are used for the comparison of the signatures and compositions of the exhaled volatile organic compounds that are created as a result of the biological pathways that occur in the human body. The results show a clear distinction among 1) head and neck cancer patients and healthy controls, 2) lung cancer patients and healthy controls, and 3) head and neck cancer patients and those with lung cancer. Other clinical trials aimed to explore the difference in the breath print of the four most widespread cancers in the developed world (lung, prostate, colorectal, breast), which account for half of the cancer deaths; the results showed that each cancer has a unique pattern of volatile organic compounds when compared with healthy patients.

Figure 1. Participants at Malta-VI. (Courtesy of the Malta Conferences Foundation.)

Analytical, Nanotechnology, and Material Science The current trends in these areas that were described included the atmospheric measurement of pesticides, the extraction, separation, and analysis of lignans, and electron transfer in biological systems. The realm of complex functional bio-composites has attracted a good deal of interest, in particular plant cystoliths, which are mineralized objects formed by specialized cells in the leaves of certain plants, that scatter incident light. Cystoliths are regularly distributed in the epidermis of leaves and protrude into the photosynthetic tissue such that the photosynthetic pigments generate a steep light gradient in the leaf. Under most illumination regimes, the outer leaf layer is light saturated, rendering the photosynthetic apparatus kinetically unable to use the excess light for photochemistry. Energy, Environment, Air and Water Quality This workshop had many interlocking components. Inasmuch as collaborations that involve renewable energy among several Middle East countries are currently ongoing, this aspect of the workshop concentrated on current research activities; the hope was expressed that new collaborations could be established to lead to the further development of sustainable resources that do 86 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


not impact adversely on the environment, particularly air quality. With regard to water, the shared resources are under heavy natural and human pressures in terms of quantity and quality, which affect every aspect of life from ecosystems and the environment to food security and health. Because of population growth and urbanization, and despite a general improved standard of living in the region, many communities still lack access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. The problem of water scarcity provides important opportunities for cooperation and conflict prevention, and could be at the core of programs to promote peaceful coexistence and collaboration among people in Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan, to the mutual benefit of all the stakeholders.

Chemistry Safety and Security The awarding of the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) placed in clear focus the work of that group in the development of the International Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the removal of chemical weapons from current areas of conflict in the Middle East. Especially relevant is the fact that some of the participants at Malta-VI were from the several countries that have not ratified or signed the CWC. It was pointed out that OPCW is working toward the creation of an international code of conduct for chemists, especially in connection with the problems created by the dual use of chemicals for both peaceful and terrorist purposes.

Science Education at All Levels In addition to the presentations on innovative pedagogy, systemic assessment, and the use of technology, there were several that attracted particular interest. The talk on the ethics of scientific research emphasized the importance of stressing the basic values of honesty, reliability, and objectivity in all of science education. A representative from Saudi Arabia described the enormous progress made by women scientists in the Arab world with a particular focus on her own country where there has been a significant increase in the number of highly qualified women scientists although career opportunities remain limited. A speaker from Egypt reminded the audience that the use of gas weapons in North Africa and the Middle East against civilians engaged in peaceful political protests puts an ugly face on the public perception of chemistry.

Perspectives on the Conferences So far, a total of about 500 scientists from the Middle East have participated in the six Malta Conferences with a few having attended every conference and a majority more than one. Increasingly, early-career scientists and students are represented (Figs. 2, 3), which offers hope that the efforts of the Conferences will one day bear fruit. 87 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


Figure 2. (left) Students from Egypt. (Courtesy of the Malta Conferences Foundation.)

Figure 3. (right) Students from Qatar. (Courtesy of the Malta Conferences Foundation.)

The Malta Conferences have gotten the attention of members of the U.S. Congress, who have entered their support into the Congressional Record (21, 22). The Conferences remain the only current platforms at which scientists from the embattled nations of the Middle East can meet in a nonconfrontational environment to discuss regional problems and seek solutions.

Collaborations as a Result of the Conferences Through the personal interactions that have taken place at the Malta Conferences, a number of collaborations have developed. Palestinian students are pursuing Ph.D. studies at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, and Hasan Dweik, Vice President for Science and Society at Al-Quds University in East 88 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


Jerusalem, recently spent a sabbatical year in the laboratory of Ron Naaman at Weizmann, developing biomolecular sensors (23). Hossam Haick, an Israeli-Arab professor of chemical engineering and nanotechnology at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology who has been a participant in the Conferences (24), has designed massive open online courses (MOOC) in nanotechnology in Arabic and English that are being used by thousands of students in Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, the Palestinian Authority, and Iran (25). If there is one subject that draws the attention of everyone in the Middle East, it is water – its availability, quality, and distribution. Not unexpectedly, the most robust and potentially significant collaborations resulting from the Malta Conferences have developed around the issues of the quality and quantity of the water available for human use. In the forward of a compendium of papers on water quality and purification, the editor wrote, “Water is a significant component of the ongoing Palestinian–Israeli conflict and other regional disputes over water. However, these can be addressed through concerted regional efforts, lessening cross-border tension, contributing to cooperation and understanding in this politically volatile region (26).” At Malta-III in Istanbul in 2007, Yousef Abu-Mayla, director of the Water Research Center at Al-Azhar University in the Gaza Strip, described the widespread degradation of water quality in Gaza and the especially urgent need for action. The attendees at the Conference unanimously adopted the following declaration, which was communicated to Tony Blair, envoy to the Middle East representing the U.N., U.S, Russia, and the European Union. “There are some concerns that transcend politics. Among them are issues that have long-term consequences for civilization and affect the lives of individuals who simply lie in the way of events. “As scientists from throughout the Middle East, with some of their colleagues from other parts of the world, we wish to draw immediate and urgent attention to one such issue. Water is of central importance to human life; water in the Gaza Strip is of particular concern in terms of quantity and quality, threatening the health of every inhabitant regardless of their political inclination. “We urge governments to look beyond the present conflicts and disagreements that afflict the region. As with some other treaties, where difficult conflicts are set aside for future consideration, we urge that the interested governments and agencies ignore their current disagreements, and by, drawing on scientific expertise, urgently address the issue of water in the Gaza strip, taking into account the whole cycle from collection to reuse.” The clear and present danger of the water crisis, not only in Gaza but also more broadly throughout the region as described at Malta-III, led to the idea in Istanbul of establishing a working group with representatives from Egypt, Germany, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Palestinian Authority, U.K., and U.S. to write and submit a project proposal to the Division of Chemistry and the Environment of IUPAC. The project (#2008-003-3-600) was funded, leading to face-to-face meetings of the members of the working group at Malta-IV, -V, and -VI, participation in the workshops, and the creation of an action plan with specific recommendations to the governments of Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority: 89 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.

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Establish a uniform and comprehensive regional water information system and database; Create an integrated water resources management board; Promote the development of new water resources and conservation methods; Initiate regional water research and development; Assess the environmental and social impacts of water usage.

Details about this collaborative outcome of the Malta Conferences can be found in references (19) and (27). In addition, scientists from Al-Azhar University in Gaza and the Technion continue to collaborate on testing the quality of the ground water in Gaza despite the difficulties involved in doing so. Bethlehem University in the Palestinian Authority and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel received a grant from the Yad Hanadiv Foundation for a water purification project. These examples demonstrate that when there is a will toward collaborative actions, there will be a way.

Comments from the Participants of the Conferences The opinions of the participants matter the most. The consensus among attendees at each of the Malta Conferences has been that the achievements of the meeting far exceeded all expectations, prompting the participants to vote unanimously each time to hold another one in two year’s time. Ten Middle Eastern chemists have agreed to serve on the Organizing Committee of the Malta Conferences, and the convictions of the attendees and the concrete results of these conferences have borne out the initial vision: “Collaborations between scientists of the region will be the bridge to peace in the Middle East.” •

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“I felt that we really created a community of people who enjoy being together and sharing ideas. For me, the education workshop, was very useful, and I dare to say, that this time I enjoyed it even better than during my last two conferences.” (Israel) “Thanks a lot for your kindness, care and hospitality and all you did and do for peace all over the world. My deep hearty congratulations for you for the successful conference. Thank you for introducing new members in your conference, which increase our networking and good chance for more collaboration.” (Egypt) “Many thanks for all that you have done to make Malta-V such a wonderful event full by success and happiness to such gathering from all the Middle East scientists. Congratulations and looking forward to seeing you in Malta-VI.” (Saudi Arabia) “Thanks to your efforts, Malta-V was another success despite worldwide economic hardship. We all congratulate you. We hope that you are aware of the fact how much your hard work is appreciated to help the Middle East peace process through science.” (Turkey) 90


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“Now we are already sharing greetings and looking for deeper collaborations and support to each other.” (Saudi Arabia) “The conference should work towards creating a pressure group from among scientists in the area to work for enhancing harmony and peaceful coexistence.” (U.A.E.) “I came to help push peace forward.” (Palestine) “I believe the Conferences contribute to the mutual understanding of the people from different cultures, ethnic, religious, and political backgrounds, thereby opening the door for a lasting peace in the Middle East.” (Turkey) “We have only one nationality here – and that’s science.” (Egypt) “Despite the preoccupation of our lives, I am glad that we have occasions like these, which give us a chance to reconnect and express our warmth for each other.” (Palestine) “May we all have better times in our region. A dream starts with one little step. Let’s hope the Malta Conferences will inch eventually towards this step.” (Israel) “I think the conference represents a very important step in the way of cooperation between researchers in the Middle East away from the politics; it also removes the barriers between the people of this region left by politicians.” (Jordan) “It’s the first time for me and my friends from Iraq to have met Israel scientists and experts. I found them very friendly, kind, and active. I think the conference was very important, but more important was this opportunity that we met your people.” (Iraq) “Thank you very much for writing to me although you are always busy, working for more peace not only in Arab countries but for all the world.” (Egypt) “I am so pleased we had the chance of meeting each other in Istanbul. This made me find out that we are all looking for a happy and peaceful life. Thank you.” (Saudi Arabia) “I can only join the various messages of friendship that we all received from many of you. Personally, I felt this time that I was meeting again old friends and was making new significant friendships. We have created, thanks to all those who worked so hard to make the success of this initiative, a network of scientific communication that overcomes all other barriers. I am confident that this will bear fruit in the future, maybe well beyond what we expect and hope.” (Israel) “I deeply appreciate your endless efforts to attend and organize many conferences to transfer the idea to help humanity to have a good health and live in peace.” (Egypt) “Malta Conferences for me have always been the highest quality and the most enjoyable scientific activity. You did it again in Istanbul. Now Malta Conferences reached a point of no return. There is only one way and that is to continue the well-established tradition. I know how much time, energy and even spending your own money it takes. I appreciate all your efforts to put such a world-class scientific event together. I am certain, 91



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that some time in the future, when peace and prosperity comes to the Middle East, your efforts will be remembered.” (Turkey) “Our great Middle East Chemistry meeting in Istanbul was for me – an elderly ‘freshman’ – a thrilling experience. The unfailingly friendly and cooperative tone, the excellent presentations, from basic science to urgent local and regional problems; the enjoyable banquets with opportunities for informally meeting colleagues with very different backgrounds and perspectives – yet all of us united by our love of science and commitment to its use for the benefit of mankind. I was a postdoc at Bohr’s Institute for Atomic Physics in Copenhagen in the early 1950’s. From Bohr, I learned not only many wonderful things about science as science, but also about the exceptional opportunity science offers to open up national, ethnic, political, and religious boundaries. His own Institute was, and is, a very successful example of these principles as was, and is, the great European (but in fact international) Research Center for High Energy Particle Research (CERN) in Geneva, to whose establishment he was passionately committed. Malta seems to me to follow in the same great tradition. May it continue to go from strength to strength.” – Walter Kohn, Nobel Laureate (U.S.)

Funding and Sustainability of the Malta Conferences The greatest challenge that must be faced is to raise enough money through grants, sponsorships, and personal contributions to cover the cost of each biennial conference, which can amount to $250-300K, for the support of travel and accommodations of the Nobel Laureates and the participants from the Middle East, meals and social events, conference facilities, technical support, and the expenses of the organizing company. In order to provide fiscal responsibility, a mechanism for fundraising, and a structure for the organization of the Conferences, the Malta Conferences Foundation, a charitable organization under IRS Section 501(c)(3), was incorporated on June 1, 2011, in the District of Columbia. As such, personal contributions may be itemized and deducted on the federal income tax return, and the Foundation is tax-exempt. Over the course of the past decade, many hundreds of individuals have contributed personally to the Foundation. The Foundation has a Board of Directors led by Officers, and an International Advisory Board; members of the latter are Nobel Laureates and other very distinguished scientists. All serve without any compensation whatsoever. Among the Board members are past presidents of the ACS and representatives from the U.S., Canada, Korea, Europe, and the Middle East. Information about the Foundation and the way to make donations to support the Conferences can be found at www.MaltaConferencesFoundation.org/. Since the start of the Conferences in 2003, financial support has been received from many agencies, organizations, and foundations; without their generosity, it would have been impossible to sustain the effort. Acknowledgements and thanks go to the following: ACS, RSC, GDCh, IUPAC, UNESCO, OPCW, National 92 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


Science Foundation (NSF), Columbia College Chicago, Civilian Research and Development Fund Global, U.S. Office of Naval Research Global, U.S. Army Forward Element Command-Atlantic, The Munin Foundation of Norway, Terrific Science, Google, Inc., The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Skoll Global Threats Fund, Center for Global Science-Berkeley, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Nano Tech for Intelligent Solutions, Spectra-Physics (Newport Corp.), Committee of Concerned Scientists, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Yad Hanadiv Fund.

Prospects for the Future Among the ongoing challenges for the future of the Malta Conferences is the necessity to hold the meetings in a safe and secure location that is accessible via international air transportation in a country that will grant visas to all the participants from the Middle East without restrictions. As one can imagine, what is safe, secure, accessible, and restriction-free one day may not be the next.

Figure 4. The Middle East without borders. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Middle_East_geographic.jpg [accessed Nov. 1, 2014]. Nevertheless, despite (and because of) the terrible current conflicts within and between nations in the Middle East, and the political, societal, and humanitarian disasters that are unfolding, plans are being developed to hold the next Malta Conference (Malta-VII) in November 2015 in Rabat, Morocco. One can only 93 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


hope that the next conference and subsequent ones can bring together scientists from the region who share the seemingly impossible dream of making international scientific cooperation and collaboration a border-free reality (Figure 4). Perhaps the double rainbow observed during Malta-VI (Figure 5) is a harbinger of better things to come.

Figure 5. The double rainbow of hope. (Courtesy of the Malta Conferences Foundation.)

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The Malta Conferences: Fostering International Scientific

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