PORTUGAL: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SUBCOMMITTEE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LISBON 002162

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PASS TO OES (ANITA EISENSTADT) AND USDA TO FOREST SERVICE
(DALE DAGUE)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV PREL TBIO TSPA PO
SUBJECT: PORTUGAL: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SUBCOMMITTEE
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

REF: A. LISBON 1554


B. LISBON 846

C. LISBON 561

D. LISBON 560

Summary
--------------

1. At the September 21 Bilateral Commission Science and
Technology (S&T) Subcommittee Meeting, Embassy officials
reviewed the Embassy Science Fellow program, NASA/C3P
activities, forest fire cooperation, and fuel conversion at
the nuclear research reactor. The Portuguese delegation
focused on the status of agreements with the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT),Carnegie-Mellon University,
and University of Texas/Austin. Both sides praised the
strong S&T component of the successful September 10-15 trip
to Florida headed by Ambassadors Hoffman and Catarino. End
Summary.

Committee Members
--------------

2. On September 21, Portugal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
hosted the S&T Subcommittee meeting in preparation for the
October 3 Bilateral Commission. The US delegation was led by
Pol/Econ Counselor and included EconChief, ESTH Officer, and
National Institute of Health (NIH) Embassy Science Fellow.
MFA North American Deputy Director Manuel Grainha do Vale
headed the Portuguese delegation. Other participants
included representatives from the Ministry of Science,
Technology, and Higher Education (MCTES) and from the
Luso-American Foundation (FLAD).

Embassy Science Fellows
--------------

3. Pol/Econ Counselor opened the meeting by welcoming
Kathleen Collins from the National Institutes of Health, the
first Embassy Science Fellow in over a year. Collins, an
expert in infectious diseases and Africa, arrived in Portugal
on September 5 to explore possibilities of joint health
projects in lusophone Africa. Her presence was well received
by the Portuguese delegation which reiterated its desire for
greater trilateral cooperation in Africa.


4. Underscoring the importance of the Embassy Science Fellow
Program to the bilateral S&T relationship, the Embassy
reiterated its commitment to expand the program by announcing
three additional fellows by summer 2007. Dr. Larry Suter
from the National Science Foundation (NSF) arrives at the end
of October 2006 to explore student participation in math and
sciences and to increase linkages between schools and
businesses. In February 2007, Dr. Ann Mari Thro, a
Department of Agriculture expert in biotechnology will focus
on agricultural research and public outreach for biotech
crops. In April 2007, Liz Williams from NASA will come to
Portugal as part of the NASA Leadership Development Program.

NASA/C3P Activities
--------------

5. Both sides expressed satisfaction with NASA's ongoing
efforts in Portugal. At the end of June, a team from NASA
headquarters visited Portugal to assess current chrome-free
coating system and printing press projects. They also
continued discussions for a new joint project involving wind,
solar, and hydrogen cell technology. The goal of this new
project would be to create wind and solar power to support
groundwater restoration and environmental clean-up at White
Sands Test Facility in New Mexico.

Forest Fire Cooperation
--------------

6. The MFA North Americas Deputy Director expressed
appreciation for the USDA Forest Service donation of 300
fire-resistant Nomex pants that arrived in July (reftel A).
ESTH officer followed by highlighting a success story which
resulted from the February/March visit by five USDA Forest
Service experts on prescribed burns. In March, American and
Portuguese Forest Services created a fire break which halted
a forest fire in Serra do Marao in early June. The
Portuguese Forest Service reported that the fire break
stopped the fire from descending into a valley, preventing
the 300 hectare fire from turning into a 3000 hectare
conflagration.

Nuclear Reactor Fuel Conversion
--------------

7. The Portuguese delegation reported on a possible delay to
the fuel conversion at Portugal's sole nuclear research

LISBON 00002162 002 OF 002


reactor. Portugal has been coordinating with the US
Departments of Energy and State and with the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to convert the highly enriched
uranium (HEU) to low enriched uranium (LEU) by January 2007
(reftels B,C,D). Snags in paperwork have caused a delay in
the process. Portugal and the State Department are awaiting
European Commission clearance to proceed with the conversion
program.

Agreements with American Universities
--------------

8. MCTES representative briefed the S&T Subcommittee on the
collaborative university agreements achieved as part of the
Prime Minister's Technology Plan. On October 11, Prime
Minister Socrates is scheduled to sign the Portugal-MIT
agreement targeting collaborative efforts in engineering and
management. The agreement calls for the MIT Engineering
Systems Division to work with various Portuguese schools of
engineering and national laboratories in four main areas:
industrial production, energy, transport, and engineering.
The MIT Sloan School of Management also plans to work with
Portuguese schools of economy and management on the
development of an international MBA program. The first
activity for 2006 will be a series of doctoral seminars,
entitled "Lisbon-Sloan Seminar Series in Management Science.
Also in October, an agreement will be signed with
Carnegie-Mellon University to focus on joint activities in
communication and information technology. In November,
Portugal will conclude a collaborative agreement with
University of Texas/Austin that centers on advanced digital
media and S&T commercialization.

Florida Trip
--------------

9. Both sides noted the success of the September 10-15 trip
to Florida led by Ambassadors Hoffman and Catarino.
Collaboration between government, educational institutions,
and business to spur innovation and economic growth was a key
S&T-related theme, with the delegation visiting the
University of Central Florida, the Miami-Dade Community
College system, and Scripps Florida for a first-hand look.
Both the FLAD and MCTES representatives stated their desire
to replicate best practices here in Portugal. As follow-on
to the Florida visit, FLAD plans to explore the possibility
of working with the U.S. National Foundation for Teaching
Entrepreneurship (NFTE) to launch a program in Portugal
similar to ones NFTE has in Belgium, Holland, and Ireland.

Comment
--------------

10. The S&T Subcommittee Meeting was collegial, focused, and
yielded no surprises. The Portuguese side was deeply
appreciative of Ambassador Hoffman and Embassy efforts in
organizing the Florida trip. They noted that participants
returned with a strong desire to follow)up with concrete
action, with the aim of turning the goals of the Technology
Plan into reality.
O'Neal