The Moldovan Research and Development Association (MRDA, www.mrda.md) is an independent, nonprofit organization established in 2000 with the support of the U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation (CRDF, www.crdf.org ) in cooperation with the Government of Moldova. The MRDA is part of a U.S. Department of State program that offers civilian research and development opportunities to Moldovan former weapons researchers and aims to improve the general state of science and technology in Moldova.