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Second Day's Welcome William Wulf President National Academy of Engineering On behalf of the Academy let me welcome you all to the second day of our meeting on transatlantic science and technology (S&T) cooperation. Yesterday, the morning session addressed trends in transatlantic S&T policy and interna- tional cooperation. That was followed by some fascinating breakout sessions on how our two communities, with their proud traditions, can collaborate in cutting- edge technologies, namely information technologies, transportation, climate change, and health sciences. Today, we intend to concentrate on some of the public policy issues that may arise as collaboration between the United States and the European Union (KU) unfolds. We plan to do this by looking at "best practice" in several S&T coopera- tive efforts and ask some questions: What do we know about past and current efforts in domestic and international S&T cooperation? What lessons from these efforts should we take into the future of S&T cooperation between the United States and the European Union? As our agenda indicates, we plan to address best practices by looking at three engines of economic growth associated with all businesses but with a focus on high-technology: . . Small business. A key element of economic growth is a vibrant high-tech small-business sector that creates a self-sustaining cycle of job creation and growth. The United States and Europe have programs to foster small- business growth, and our first session this morning explores several of these programs. International research and development. R&D is becoming more costly and funding for long-term R&D is increasingly scarce. In this environ- ment it is natural for countries and companies to look for partners around 60
WILLIAM WULF 61 the globe. We are privileged to have with us today Bill Spencer, of SEMATECH, to discuss a key international R&D effort in the semicon- ductor industry. · The technical work force. Just as more and more companies search the globe for R&D partners, they also look worldwide for technical talent. This creates both new opportunities for transatlantic cooperation and chal- lenges in managing R&D efforts with an international work force. Our third panel this morning, which I will moderate, will look at these issues. The U.S.-EU S&T agreement is a valuable opportunity for both sides. It is too valuable to let issues of management and implementation fend for themselves. We can learn much from each other, but we must also be aware of common policy challenges inherent in cooperation. Today, and in the follow-up confer- ence in Europe planned for 1999, we hope to shed some light on how to meet those policy challenges. This will give a new era of U.S.-EU cooperation opera- tional life. Cooperation, like marriage, requires constant dialogue to ensure that it is productive and sustainable. By beginning a dialogue today and recognizing that it must continue, we dramatically increase the chances of the agreement bear- ing fruit for the United States and the European Community.
