Press Releases 2006

United States and Poland Sign Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement

10 February 2006

On February 10, 2006, the United States and the Republic of Poland signed a new bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement. At a ceremony held at the historic Blair House in Washington, D.C, Minister of Foreign Affairs Stefan Meller signed the Agreement on behalf of Poland, and Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Dr. Paula Dobriansky signed on behalf of the United States.

The ten-year agreement builds on an earlier agreement between the two countries and facilitates broad bilateral cooperation in science and technology. It removes obstacles that would prevent scientific collaboration and encourages joint research, conferences, and the exchange of people and ideas. On-going and potential areas of cooperation include: cancer research, emerging and infectious disease research, joint research training programs, nanotechnology, biotechnology and environmental sciences.

Previous scientific collaboration between U.S. and Polish experts has resulted in numerous achievements. For example, long-term technical cooperation between Polish and U.S. experts improved air and water quality in the ancient Polish capital of Krakow. The United States has helped to preserve the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a UNESCO world heritage site in Poland, and, in medical research, joint U.S.-Polish projects have yielded important publications in many fields, especially in molecular oncology and fetal cardiology.