ICTP Director K.R. Sreenivasan, accompanied by Claudio Tuniz, recently appointed special assistant to the Director, visited the European Union (EU) in Brussels last month to discuss potential avenues of cooperation between the EU and ICTP. Discussions focused on efforts to promote science in eastern and central Europe and potential initiatives for expanding scientific data collection both within Europe and the developing world. The Director, accompanied by ICTP scientists Hilda Cerdeira and Marco Zennaro, also travelled to UNESCO headquarters in Paris to discuss possible initiatives to provide rapid internet access to major universities and research centres in developing nations where access remains difficult and slow. About 60 representatives from UNESCO member states, including the Italian ambassador Franceso Caruso, were present.