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to: Dott.    Ruben VARDAPETIAN (vardapetian@intas.be)
                (INTAS Scientific Officer for Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics)

from Dott. Mariano MAISTRELLO (maistrello@irrs.mi.cnr.it)
               the Co-ordinator of  INTAS-IA-96-03 'Infra-structrual Action':
 
 

Establishment of two dedicated EDP Centres (in Moscow & Kiev)
for the retrieval and processing of the old photographic records of Crustal and Litospheric seismic profiles

and c.c. to:


Subject:
justification for the request of the last Intas funds in the frame of our IA-96-03 Action (18,000 Euro)
and recall for the old amount due to the Moscow Partner (6,224 $).

--------------------------------------------

Dear Ruben,

as you can verify reading the annexed messages written by my Partners in our already finished IA-96-03 action, there are several reasons to ask Intas for the last payment already planned in our Co-operation agreement. That is 18,000 euro, the 10% of the global amount of the Action's Intas funds, distributed as already planned:

MILAN: 4,000;    PARIS 3,000;    MOSCOW and KIEV: 5,500.

Furthermore I must recall to you the other 'old' credit of 6,224 us$ of our Moscow Partner, already justified in several my documents.

I urge this request on the base of the only reason which - I hope - should have priority in all the INTAS scientific policy toward the NIS Partners: the best success in the East-West cooperation, helping NIS countries in their R&D improvement!.

Of course, I know that we all (and particularly the main persons, i.e. the co-ordinators and the various Officers) must take into account both the points of view and the interests of the Partners (Western & Eastern). But, in any case it seems to me that it has no meaning to delay this final part of Intas funds with which we all could successfully realize the conditions to assure a future and effective utilization of the two EDP centres just successfully implemented in Kiev and Moscow. At the moment the most suffering for this delay in payment are mainly the two NIS sites and, above all, the Moscow Partner. Indeed, our Spetsgeofizika's colleagues are waiting not only this last Intas funds (5,500 euro, as Kiev Partner), but also they have a very bad past financial situation, due to several reasons already explained in our Final Report: an amount of 14,471 us$ still frozen in the local Most-Bank, and a credit with General Bank (Brussels) of 6,224 us$, from May, 1998 !!! This way they have been able only to buy the EDP equipments and make few other payments (labour costs, consumables and other), for a real amount of only 53,807 us$, that is about only the 67% of the planned and expected one (75,500 euro).

We'd like to underline to Intas Officers the importance and the necessity of the 'other costs' apart from the 'equipment' cost (the main one) already satisfied with the establishment of the two EDP centres. For the NIS partners, the 'labour costs' is a must, as well as all the others….. and you could imagine that, considering the 'normal' financial difficulties of those States, this delay in the payment of Intas funds adds other heavy difficulties, and such that I cannot see any future their fruitful collaboration in some international Projects. If for some reason we couldn't get this final payment, the whole design of our efforts could strongly suffer for this incomplete realisation: in fact this final part of Intas funds will be used (as you can see reading our Final Report) for these main purpouses:

You see: you could imagine to be a racing cyclist who is climbing a mountain and is near to the top… but his tyre got a puncture! Oh damn! What could we foresee for his race if no assistance-car helped him with a new tyre? Ok, let's think to this final Intas payment (as requested in our last official documents) like that new tyre for the cyclist…. Also without this money we could arrive to the final destination! But, maybe, by walking! And nobody knows when…..If we'd be lucky and some other car should pass (other International funding Agency), we could try an auto-stop….

I don't want to be quite boring, and think you have enough documentation and information on our target, isn't it? So, please, do everything possible to clear the situation of our 'near-to-successfull-end' Action.

Sincerely yours
Milan,  September 6, 1999
ANNEXED:
  1. The V.GEYKO's message
  2. The Y.YUROV's "
  3. The H.ZEYEN's "
   1.      from KIEV

Oggetto: IA-96-03 cost remaining
Data: Wed, 01 Sep 1999 08:48:30 +0300
Da: Valentin Geyko <vgeyko@sabbo.net>
A: Mariano Maistrello <m.maistrello@irrs.mi.cnr.it>

Dear Mariano,

After receiving from Ruben Vardapetian last message for 8 Aug. I sent to you and cc to him next answer:

"Dear Mariano,I hope you received last message from Mr. Ruben Vardapetian. I would ask take into account that my Team and I (total 7 peoples) not obtained Individual Grants for 5 months from 12 that put together 5000 Euro. It is payment for yet executed work. Moreover I am expensed 500 Euro for purchasing of any consumables and PC upgrade. Non-receiving 5500 Euro will have catastrophic consequence for Kyiv Team.

Best wishes for you in defending of our IA

Valentin Geyko" I confirm the distribution of total 5,628 Euro expenses of Kyiv's Team as detailed in the F.R.

Best regards, Valentin Geyko - Kyiv -
 
 
 

   2.   From MOSCOW

Oggetto: finances
Data: Mon, 06 Sep 1999 12:58:29 +0400
Da: Yuri Yurov <spetsgeo@cityline.ru>
Società: Spetsgeofizika
A: Mariano Maistrello <m.maistrello@irrs.mi.cnr.it>

Dear Mariano,

  1. I’ll answer your financial questions but it is difficult for three reasons:

    2. a) I do not know what amount of money I can get from MOST bank and when.
    b) I have suspicion that INTAS wants to decrease total amount of money for the project. If so, I think it will be justifiably only when all four partners be suffered in equal percentage.
    c) I don't know how reliable is Vneshtorgbank, I choose the bank because of the small charges. I had telephoned to the bank and got two replies: yes we has entered into agreement with INTAS and if money will be transferred you can get it. The both answers are very natural and I had not expected to hear other ones. I think that INTAS people have more information about banks with which INTAS has an agreement. I consider in Moscow there are some participants of INTAS’ projects and INTAS must have information how reliable are banks which he recommended. Since you have direct connection with INTAS people, ask they and send me their replies, please. That means I don't know what amount of money I shall have and I should distribute some "virtual" money. This distribution naturally will be very conditional.
  2. To speak about our future I think it is necessary to describe our present situation and our aims.

    3. a) although all available INTAS money we spent at the end of last year, we work and, I hope, we shall work. I will do for it all what I can and use all money which we get.
    b) Our aims are:
    1. digitizing of all seismograms of profile XX to get record sections for all shot points and including these materials of the first 340 km DSS profile into existing seismic data base for CDP data.
    2. improving of signal-to-noise ratio of the record sections using, better to say fitting, programs developed for conventional CDP data.
    3. making a new interpretation, using ray-tracing and all available data (boreholes, VSP, CDP and so on). I don't know how many years this work needs ( hora ruit, time flies!!). I only know that with help of INTAS money the work will be faster and better. And without this work our project will lose its practical meaning.

    For item 1 we have now all necessary instruments but I don't know what instrument will be damaged and when.
    For item 2 we need a person who well knows modern programs for CDP processing.
    For item 3 we have all necessary means. We collect available seismic data and need only some training for ray-tracing using.
     

  3. I confirm distribution of 5,500 EURO in following proportion:

    4. 3,500 for Labour Costs, 1,400 for Consumables and 600 for Overheads.

    I confirm also distribution written in your Final Report. I propose to divide 6,244 USD thus: 5,724 for Labour Costs and 500 for Other. If we will need to get some instruments in the future this distribution will be changed.

    ………….omissis ………

    Best regards. Y.Yurov - Moscow -
     
     

   3.   From PARIS

Oggetto: Re: new (last?) task
Data: Wed, 01 Sep 1999 10:18:28 +0200
Da: Hermann Zeyen <zeyen@geol.u-psud.fr>
A: Mariano Maistrello <m.maistrello@irrs.mi.cnr.it>

Dear Mariano,

……………omissis :

Journey to Moscow (7 days, = 2 days journey + 5 days there)
        Transport plus visa etc.: 700 Euro
        Per diem: 7*77 Euro (=500FF): 539 Euro
        Hotel (like last year, if prices have not increased): 6*70 Euro: 420 Euro
        Total for 1 week Moscow: 1660 Euro
Journey to Kiew (7 days)
        Transport etc.: 600 Euro
        Per diem 7*70 Euro (=450FF) 490 Euro
        Hotel 6*70 Euro 420 Euro
        Total for 1 week Kiew: 1510 Euro
For the coming 3000 Euro, my institute will take 15% overhead = 450 Euro
        Total 1 week Moscow + 1 week Kiev + overhead = 1660 + 1510 + 450 = 3620 Euro
        I have 925 Euro left + 3000 Euro totals 3925 Euro

That gives a surplus of 305 Euro. With this money, I can hardly buy software (I would need a specific FORTRAN compiler to be used with commercial modelling software, but that costs already 500 Euro). If the hotels have become a bit more expensive, this money is already gone. So, I think that the additional 3000 Euro are more than justified. Hopefully, Brussels agrees with this opinion.

…….omissis

our partners might be able to present already digitised data and the project would be based on the interpretation of these data plus continuation of digitisation.

….omissis……       Bye; Hermann - Paris -