West Virginia University in the United States and six industry groups, together with the U.S. National Guard Bureau, have announced a public/private partnership to apply information technology to help U.S. communities and those across the globe respond to natural or man- made disasters. They have formed the International Telemedicine Collaboratory(R). Through an agreement, signed in Morgantown, W.Va., USA, Thursday, Sept. 30, they announced creation of a Virtual Medical Campus (VMC)(R). The VMC will help prepare for the use of biological or chemical weapons and other man-made or natural disasters. It will use integrated online knowledge bases capable of providing quick response to emergencies such as anthrax or sarin gas attacks by terrorist organizations. The system will also provide rapid responses for medical emergencies caused by natural disasters such as floods. In the United States agencies such as the Department of Defense, the Federal Emergency Management Administration, the National Guard and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others, all need rapid access to the best available medical information in emergencies, especially terrorism attacks. However, there is no integrated knowledge system for such information readily accessible today. The VMC is being established through a partnership with the following: West Virginia University Electronic Data Systems ACT, Inc. COMTEL Conaway Group MPL Corp. National Guard Bureau Oracle Corp. ots Original Text Service: West Virginia University Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Rusty Russell, director of Virtual Medical Campus (USA) 304-293-5998, or frussell@wvu.edu, or Don Stamper of Electronic Data Systems (USA) 304-924-9070, or user797271@aol.com Web site: http://www.nis.wvu.edu