HISTORY OF THE VKI 1956-2006

After fifty years of existence it seems of interest to examine how Theodore von Karman's vision of international cooperation in Science and Technology led to the establishment of the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (VKI), a centre of excellence dedicated to education and research in the field of fluid dynamics which serves as an example for further initiatives in other fields of science.

This publication summarizes how this was made possible despite considerable difficulties in ensuring a stable cost-sharing formula for the financing of the Institute among the NATO nations. It is fascinating to understand how many actions came together to produce what the Institute is today. As I have been among the first few faculty members on whom Theodore von Karman relied to start and develop such an institution, I was asked by the Institute's Board of Directors to prepare and edit the present publication. The description relies on documents still available or in their absence on personal memory and that of former staff members and members of personnel who have retired or are still working at VKI.