Duality predictions for the production of heavy quark systems in QCD

Using partonic semi-local duality ideas combined with QCD the authors derive absolute, parameter-free predictions for the cross sections of heavy quarkonia (J/ psi , psi ', Upsilon , Upsilon ', ...) production in purely hadronic collisions as well as in photoproduction processes. They also discuss 'open' charm (DD) production and show how the CERN SPS beam dump measurements at square root S=27.4 GeV can be naturally reconciled with the predictions of QCD; similarly the recent ISR data are in good agreement with QCD. (23 refs).