EU-U.S. Innovation Conference, 14-15 January 2015, Brussels, Belgium
The European Union (EU) and the United States (U.S.) first signed an umbrella science and technology cooperation agreement (S&T Agreement) that entered into force in 1998. It was renewed in 2004 and 2009 and was extended until October 2013. In addition, as of March 2010, 17 EU Member States and Associated Countries have individual S&T Agreements with the United States. These S&T Agreements provide the formal framework in which government‐to‐government S&T cooperation is undertaken.
The overall principles are addressed similarly across the agreements, such as mutual interest and benefit, reciprocal opportunities, equitable and fair treatment, and the forms of cooperation, mechanism for coordination, entry of personnel and equipment, intellectual property rights (IPR), and security obligations.
In order to avoid duplication and fragmentation of programs and instruments which support transatlantic S&T cooperation the renewed EU-US S&T Agreement needs to be clear, concrete and trend-setting. In addition, the innovation dimension shall be incorporated and shall include several elements providing Member States (MS) and Associated Countries (AC) a clear direction in implementing their bilateral innovation policies with the US.
The EU-U.S. Innovation Conference How to integrate the innovation dimension in the EU-US S&T Agreement? shall on the one hand provide the relevant time and appropriate room to identify among European and US experts the innovation aspects which need to be included in the umbrella S&T Agreement to be renewed. On the other hand policy makers shall have the opportunity to discuss the extent of concreteness, clearness and direction such an umbrella S&T Agreement needs to incorporate in the future.
MS shall be invited to contribute with best practice examples on bilateral innovation policies. International SMEs as important sources for new employment shall provide insights into their internationalization strategies.
The overall goal of the planned EU-U.S. Innovation Conference is to highlight existing Member State practices and to promote the integration of the innovation aspect in the EU-U.S. S&T Agreement in Europe through more innovative and entrepreneurial principles.
Prior to the EU-U.S. innovation conference a BILAT USA 2.0 pre-conference policy workshop Towards enhanced EU-U.S. innovation collaboration through policy measures shall discuss EU-U.S. innovation collaboration among policy-makers and highlight especially barriers and challenges experienced by the US research community in order to enhance EU-U.S. RTDI business collaboration.
The preliminary conference agenda is available here.
Contact: EU-U.S. Innovation Conference
Elli B. Tzatzanis-Stepanovic
FFG - Austrian Research Promotion Agency
elli.stepanovic@ffg.at
Contact: Pre-Conference Policy Workshop
Camille Duran
inno TSD
c.duran@inno-group.com
