Ambassador and Science Minister Sign Bilateral Science and

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SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/NB, OES/STC:ANITA EISENSTADT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL TSPL PGOV SCUL DA
SUBJECT: Ambassador and Science Minister Sign Bilateral Science and
Technology Agreement

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1. (SBU) Summary: The Ambassador and Danish Minister of Science,
Technology and Innovation Helge Sander, signed a bilateral science
and technological cooperation agreement on September 15. In her
remarks, the Ambassador hailed the agreement as opening new doors in
the bilateral S and T relationship, building on excellent ongoing
collaboration between our science and technology research
communities. Minister Sander also emphasized excellent ongoing
collaboration and highlighted Denmark's efforts to promote bilateral
collaboration networks, including in California. The Embassy
appreciates the Department's support in achieving this historic
agreement and looks forward to working with the Department and U.S.
science and technology agencies to fully implement it. End
Summary.


2. (SBU) Negotiations on the agreement began in 2007 and after
resolving IPR concerns and visiting the Danish Innovation Center in
Palo Alto with members of the Danish Parliament in June, Minister
Sander signaled Danish agreement. In preparatory discussions with
ministry staff and in a private meeting between the Minister and the
Ambassador prior to the signing, the ministry agreed to host the
first meeting of the Joint Committee to be formed to support the
agreement, in 2010.


3. (U) The signing ceremony took place in the Embassy, with a mix
of local and ONE international (AFP) press outlets represented.
U.S. and Danish scientists were also invited and joined the
Ambassador and minister for a reception afterwards.

Ambassador Promotes Research Partnerships
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4. (U) In her address, the Ambassador emphasized that scientific
cooperation is a USG priority, that the agreement builds upon
excellent ongoing S and T collaboration with Denmark, and
highlighted mutual interests in working in partnership to address a
mix of global challenges. Existing cooperation includes a wide
range of researchers and sponsoring institutions, including 350
exchanges by 15 U.S. agencies in the first nine months of 2009
alone. The agreement will build on existing cooperation including
MOUs between US NREL and Denmark's Risoe National Laboratory on
renewable energy research; between national Geological Surveys; and
on groundbreaking Arctic research cooperation she had recently
witnessed in Greenland, supported by the National Science
Foundation, and involving collaboration with Danish researchers and
in cooperation with the Science Ministry's Climate and Polar Unit.



5. (U) The Ambassador noted that common challenges confronting our
research communities include interest in renewable energy research
and development; cooperation on global HEALTH challenges, including
possble pandemics; cooperation in researching and deveoping
immunizations to known and future diseases and also agriculture and
food security, another rea where collaboration can have beneficial
effets. Full text of the Ambassador's and Minister Saders
speeches and the agreement will be posted a
https://denmark.usembassy.gov/.

Minister Eagr to Deepen Excellent Relationship
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6. (U) Minister Sander said Denmark considers the U.S. to be
"outstanding in every aspect of science and technology" and lauded
the U.S. for "demonstrating determination to solve some tof the
greatest challenges of the 21st century." Little Denmark would
never be able to match U.S. researchers in numbers, but Danish
research is in some areas "fully on par," citing renewable energy
and disease control in particular. In an increasingly competitive

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environment, "access to the most advanced knowledge communities in
the world has become more important than ever, and the agreement
provides a "framework for Danish students, researchers and companies
to access American knowledge, markets and technologies."


7. (U) Minister Sander noted that the bilateral agreement with the
U.S. was Denmark's fifth, joining Israel, China, India, and Japan.
The ministry plans to launch an international networking program in
the fall of 2009, and U.S. researchers from universities and
research institutions would be invited to participate. The minister
highlighted his visit to California in June, where he met with
various universities and visited Denmark's Innovation Center (a
collaboration with the Danish Foreign Ministry) in Palo Alto, and
cited the Danish-California research consortium on food and HEALTH
involving Danish researchers and UC Davis as an example of ongoing
collaboration. He concluded saying the agreement reflects Denmark's
"fundamental interest" in strengthening the Danish-American research
and development relationship, creating "even better conditions for
close collaboration between our two nations."

Comment
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8. (U) The Embassy looks forward to working with the Department and
U.S. science and technology agencies to fully implement the
agreement. We thank the Department (particularly OES/STC and Anita
Eisenstadt) for its support successfully negotiating this agreement,
and preparing for this historic signing ceremony. We look forward
to supporting a strong U.S. delegation to the first Joint Committee
meeting next summer.

FULTON