In 1995, the “Agreement for Technical Exchange and Cooperation between the Department of Energy of the United States of America and the Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas of the Republic of Poland in the Area of Environmental Restoration and Hazardous Waste Management” was signed to promote international scientific collaboration. The duration of the initial agreement was five years. The agreement was renewed by DOE and IETU in 2000.

The objective of this international partnership is to assist DOE in meeting its environmental restoration and waste management goals by developing and demonstrating technologies that are safer, more efficient, and less costly than those currently in use. Other benefits include encouraging the introduction and use of U.S. environmental technologies and services outside the U.S. and bringing leading scientists from multiple countries together to develop innovative environmental solutions. This working partnership conducts cost-effective, innovative technology demonstration and deployment projects that are applicable to the environmental contamination in Poland, at DOE facilities in the U.S., and at other sites worldwide.

The Joint Coordinating Committee for Environmental Systems (JCCES) was established to manage the activities conducted under the auspices of the DOE/IETU agreement. The JCCES meets annually to assess program progress, review and approve proposals, and determine the level of future activities for implementation. The Director of IETU and the DOE Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology, Office of Environmental Management (EM) co-chair the JCCES. Membership consists of specialists from the U.S. and Poland who represent the technical areas of cooperation. Office of Science and Technology participation in the JCCES ensures that the areas of technical cooperation address DOE/EM’s most critical needs. JCCES projects are reviewed and evaluated by DOE technical staff for scientific merit, applicability to key DOE site needs, and relevance to DOE users.