New Vistas in Transatlantic Science and Technology Cooperation

The successful conclusion of the US-EU Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation offers the prospect of a new chapter in transatlantic cooperation. As with any international agreement in science and technology, the accord's full potential will be realized only if it can encourage mutually beneficial cooperation. With this in mind, responsible officials of the European Union (EU) and the U.S. government contacted the National Research Council's Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy (STEP) to discuss how this negotiating success might be publicized and productively exploited. It was agreed that the STEP Board should organize a conference to celebrate the accord, inform the U.S. and European research communities of the agreement, and explore specific opportunities for enhanced cooperation. At the same time, the conference would provide the occasion to review existing and evolving areas of transatlantic cooperation in science and technology from the perception of the United States, the European Commission, and the member states of the European Union.

The successful conclusion of the US-EU Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation offers the prospect of a new chapter in transatlantic cooperation. As with any international agreement in science and technology, the accord's full potential will be realized only if it can encourage mutually beneficial cooperation. With this in mind, responsible officials of the European Union (EU) and the U.S. government contacted the National Research Council's Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy (STEP) to discuss how this negotiating success might be publicized and productively exploited. It was agreed that the STEP Board should organize a conference to celebrate the accord, inform the U.S. and European research communities of the agreement, and explore specific opportunities for enhanced cooperation. At the same time, the conference would provide the occasion to review existing and evolving areas of transatlantic cooperation in science and technology from the perception of the United States, the European Commission, and the member states of the European Union. Table of ContentsFront MatterIntroductionProceedings - WelcomeOpening RemarksPlenary Session I: Trends in Science and Technology Policy - The U.S. Perspective: The Here and Now Versus the IdealThe EU Perspective on Transatlantic CooperationPlenary Session II: International R&D Cooperation - The U.S. Approach to the U.S.-EU S&T AgreementThe European Union Vista in Transatlantic Science and Technology CooperationComplementarity of Bilateral and EC Cooperation with the U.S. Presentation of Discussions in Breakout SessionsEvening Session - Opening RemarksKeynote AddressSecond Day's WelcomeBest Practices in Small-Business Technology Development ProgramsR&D in the Framework of the New Transatlantic AgendaInternationalization of the Technical Workforce and Transatlantic Cooperation in R&DConcluding RemarksSelected BibliographyAppendixes