A short country profile for science and technology

1. News

2. General Background

3. The National S&T System

4. The Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement

5. Current Roadmap

6. Scientific and technological cooperation – some results

7. Other resources and web links

4. EU – Australia Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement

The European Union (EU) and Australia have strong historical, political, economical and cultural ties and they share many common values. Over the past decades the EU and Australia have increased cooperation in various fields such as Science and Technology (S&T), agricultural trade, migration and asylum, environment and security.

In 1994, Australia became the first industrialised country with which the EU signed an S&T agreement. The agreement allowed for European and Australian researchers to take part in each other’s programmes. It entered into force in 1999 for an indefinite period.

Since then, cooperation has been active and steadily increasing in diverse areas including Health, Food/Agriculture, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and others.

In addition to regular meetings between EU and Australian officials, a well established dialogue platform, the Forum for European-Australian Science and Technology Cooperation - FEAST promotes cooperation at the level of researchers and research stakeholders. This initiative, co-funded by the European Commission and the Australian Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, has been extremely active in profiling and promoting cooperation opportunities in areas of mutual interest and benefit and was renewed for a further four-year period until 2011.

Cooperation in science, technology and innovation is an objective under the European Union: Australia Partnership Framework - a new bilateral initiative - which was announced on 2 April 2008 by the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, and President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso. For more information.

The last steering committee meeting of the S&T Cooperation Agreement, the 10th of its kind, took place in Brussels, 29-30 September 2008. It analysed progress in cooperation across all thematic areas. As a result of the meeting, the cooperation Roadmap was updated.