• the EC-member state interface: the economic, 

 political and S&T matrix 



• the expanding reach of the EC in international S&T 



• challenges of European integration for 

 U.S.-European cooperation 



• concerns, issues, and assessments regarding US-EC 

 cooperative relations 



The Committee report, supported by the assessments 

 of the NSF staff study, offers recommendations for 

 policy and operational actions by the U.S. government, 

 and particularly by the National Science Foundation. 

 Those recommendations are fully consistent with the 

 General Framework of Principles for International 

 Cooperation in Science and Technology adopted by the 

 Organization for Economic Cooperation and 

 Development (OECD) in 1988. The Committee offers 



them as encouragement, in both policy development and 

 broad operational matters, for an expanded and 

 revitalized effort by the U.S. government directed to 

 cooperation with Europe. 



hi particular, the Committee hopes with this report to 

 stimulate recognition of the fundamental changes taking 

 place in European S&T organization, in response to the 

 1992 Plan, the Single European Act and other integrative 

 factors. It intends to catalyze a broad reassessment of 

 traditional assumptions and patterns of cooperation 

 concerning U.S.-European S&T relations. Finally, it 

 hopes to draw attention to the opportunities for enhanced 

 cooperation presented by the emergence of European 

 multilateral, integrated research initiatives such as the 

 EC's FRAMEWORK programs and its planning and 

 policy coordination capabilities. 



Recommendations 



U.S. Government S&T Relations with Europe 



Issues: How should the U.S. government respond to 

 EC proposals for cooperative activities in 

 specified research fields? What level of 

 official cooperation would best serve the 

 interests of the U.S. research community? 

 Should the NSF pursue an agency-to-agency 

 level agreement with the EC 

 directorates-general for research and 

 technology development? How can NSF 

 utilize the newly-established US-EC Joint 

 Consultative Group on S&T in stimulating 

 more cooperative activities among U.S. and 

 European researchers? 



Policy Recommendations: 



1) The U.S. government should undertake 

 discussions with the EC, through the US-EC 

 Joint Consultative Group on S&T (JCG), toward 

 some form of agreement on the types and 

 conditions of bilateral cooperation involving EC 

 Commission programs. The composition of the 

 U.S. side of the JCG should reflect a wide range 

 of policy and technical interests. 



2) The terms of reference of the JCG, whether 

 formalized or not, should limit its role to that of 

 a forum for consultations, discussion and 



suggestions for actions bearing upon issues of 

 research, S&T education and mobility, and the 

 infrastructure of both. The JCG should not have 

 authority or responsibility for either funding or 

 operational management of specific cooperative 

 activities. Negotiation and implementation of 

 cooperative undertakings in specific research 

 fields should be devolved to other, appropriate 

 bodies. 



3) The NSF should expand and institutionalize 

 contacts with the EC Commission already begun 

 informally. It should utilize the JCG as a 

 primary forum for discussing possibilities, 

 challenges and obstacles associated with 

 stimulating a wider range of multilateral US-EC 

 cooperation and concertation of activities in 

 international S&T. 



4) The US government, and NSF in particular, 

 should continue to maintain strong bilateral 

 cooperative activities with the EC member states 

 through policies that are not inconsistent with 

 the development of an overlying US-EC 

 multilateral framework of cooperation. 

 Likewise, an enlarged range of cooperation at 

 the European Community level should not 

 prejudice continuation of successful national 

 bilateral activities. 



