Sabre's main vehicle for its programs in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (FSU) is the Scientific Assistance Project, established in 1986. (In those regions, the term "science" commonly refers to any disciplined branch of knowledge.) The Project provides support for research and teaching in the natural sciences, technology, the professions and the humanities. The Project's programs respond directly to the expressed needs of constituent groups abroad. It has four principal branches: the Book Donation Program; the Matching Fund and Low-Cost Purchase Program; the Internet-based Technical Assistance Project; and the Translation and Publication Program. These programs are complemented from time to time by related special projects.