To choose one right answer, we would need a bit more context about the sentence in which this phrase appears. However, assuming it's a complete sentence and based on the options provided, the phrase that makes the most sense grammatically and contextually would be:
c) are steadily growing
So the complete sentence would be: "The contacts of our scientists with their colleges in other countries are steadily growing." This implies that there is a continuous and consistent increase in the connections between scientists and their international colleagues.
