Photo: Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Today, the United States and Estonia signed a new Science and Technology Agreement, which will support future partnerships in research and innovation. The United States’ Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, Keith Krach and Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu signed the agreement at a ceremony in Tallinn.
Under Secretary Krach outlined the importance of the agreement: “Estonia’s digital economy is the envy of the world. Its entrepreneurial spirit and high-tech DNA make Estonia the perfect partner for the United States in the area of science and technology, especially during this time of rapid change. Today’s agreement will be crucial to solving not only the pandemic but the myriad economic and national security challenges. We appreciate Estonia’s leadership in becoming an early member of the Clean Network and the Blue Dot Network. I am confident that for the United States and Estonia, the best is yet to come.”
Foreign Minister Reinsalu said of the agreement: “We highly esteem the U.S.’s willingness to advance scientific and technological cooperation with us. Such cooperation between Estonia and the USA has great potential but has not yet been fully untapped in our bilateral relations. Adding digital world topics such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, financial technologies, and digital governance to our agreed areas of collaboration will allow us to boost mutual activities. Our experience and research in developing a digital society give Estonia a great deal to share, while the U.S. is one of the global leaders in science and technology. Developing digital topics together is of the utmost importance.”
The United States and Estonia have a strong partnership to build shared prosperity through cooperation in security, science and technology, and trade. This new agreement will continue to support partnerships between top researchers, public and private research institutions, and industry. It will bolster collaboration on common goals in research and innovation, including environmental protection, health security, and digital governance, as well as enhance intellectual property protection in both countries.
Some examples of ongoing collaboration include:
- A Climate Change Research in the Baltics project through a partnership between Illinois University, Triton College, Waubonsee Community College and Tallinn University, funded by a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation Office of International Science and Engineering (IRES);
- A 2020-2024 collaboration between University of California Los Angeles and University of Tartu, funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant of $10,000 to research the Genome-Wide Analyses of Health and Well-Being Phenotypes;
- A Collaborative Network for European Clinical Trials For Children (Conect4children) 2018-2024 partnership between the Uniformed University of the Health Sciences and Tartu University, funded by the European Union, Innovative Medicine Joint Initiative.
With this agreement, the United States and Estonia will continue to develop innovations and solutions to confront our common challenges and contribute to a more prosperous and secure world.
Source: Press Release Date: Monday, October 19, 2020 ee.usembassy.gov