The Collaboration Support Office - CSO

The Collaboration Support Office (CSO) supports the Collaborative business model whereby NATO Nations and partner Nations contribute their national resources to define, conduct and promote cooperative research and information exchange.

Technical Panels, Group and Committee

AVT	Applied Vehicle Technology Panel
HFM	Human Factors and Medicine Panel
IST	Information Systems Technology Panel
SAS	System Analysis and Studies Panel
SCI	Systems Concepts and Integration Panel
SET	Sensors and Electronics Technology Panel
NMSG	NATO Modelling and Simulation Group
IMC	Information Management Committee

The total spectrum of this collaborative effort is addressed by six Technical Panels who manage a wide range of scientific research activities, a Group specialising in modelling and simulation, plus a Committee dedicated to supporting the information management needs of the organisation.

These Panels and Group are the power-house of the collaborative model and are made up of national representatives as well as recognised world-class scientists, engineers and information specialists. In addition to providing critical technical oversight, they also provide a communication link to military users and other NATO bodies.

The scientific and technological work is carried out by Technical Teams, created under one or more of these eight bodies, for specific research activities which have a defined duration. These research activities can take a variety of forms, including Task Groups, Workshops, Symposia, Specialists’ Meetings, Lecture Series and Technical Courses.

In any given year, there are over 3500 Scientists and Engineers from NATO and its partners working on approximately 140 research activities being conducted by these Technical Teams. In all cases, these activities result in the publication of highly valued scientific literature published by the STO. The results of the this research can also be found in some specific peer-review journals.

An abstract of every publication can be viewed on this site. Depending on their classification, the full text of many of these reports can be downloaded. CD-ROM copies may also be obtained from one of the National Distribution Centres or can be purchased from one of the STO Sales Agencies, details of which can be found on the website.

The STO actively supports NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) and Mediterranean Dialogue (MD) participation. Each year, the STO seeks to increase the number of activities open to PfP and MD Nations, and additionally sponsors specific plenary sessions of Board and Panel meetings for these non-NATO Nations. For example, in the 2011 PoW, approximately 75% of the new activities are open to PfP Nations and 30% are open to MD Nations. The STO also extends opportunities for collaborative research to our Global Partners and has opened approximately 50% of the new 2011 activities to these Nations.

As mentioned before, facilitating the STO’s collaborative effort is the job of the CSO. This small executive office, located near Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine (FRA), has approximately 35 NATO civilian staff, and in addition, 15 military and civilian personnel generously provided by Member Nations, who serve on limited duration rotations. In its role as facilitator, the CSO provides programme management assistance to the STO Panels, serves as an interface between the national scientific and NATO military communities and provides S&T knowledge management through its website and databases.