Govt upgrades research cooperation opportunities between Estonia, US

TALLINN – In mid-July, the government approved a draft that will expand an agreement on cooperation in science and technology between Estonia and the United States and extend it by ten years.

"The purpose of the protocol is to extend the 2009 agreement between the government of the Republic of Estonia and the government of the United States on scientific and technological cooperation, which is not extended automatically, and also to use the opportunity to expand the areas of cooperation in research collaboration between the two countries. The agreement regulates the forms and principles of cooperation in research and development," Kadi Kolk, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education and Research, told BNS.

According to the ministry, the areas of cooperation on global health security, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, fintech and digital governance, which are of interest to both countries, were expanded. The protocol also makes the employment of visiting researchers more flexible and clarifies intellectual property rights.

According to the ministry, the United States has been an important partner for Estonia in both educational and research cooperation, and the cooperation is close and diverse, both within the framework of various programs -- for example, Fulbright and GLOBE -- and directly at the level of universities and research institutions.