U.S., Greece Formally Agree to Collaborate on Science and Technology

The United States and Greece entered a fresh agreement to promote and collaboratively advance research and development efforts.

According to a news release from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the  U.S.-Greece Science and Technology Agreement was officially signed in Thessaloniki, Greece Monday by the country’s Minister of Development and Investments Adonis Georgiadis and U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.

Pompeo will also visit Vatican City and other Mediterranean countries during his time abroad. 

U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios attended the official signing ceremony and is also meeting with other Greek officials this week to discuss further collective tech-focused pursuits. He said in a statement that the consensus “will pave the way for R&D investment, technological advancement, and continued leadership in cutting edge fields.”

Though the full agreement did not appear to be publicly released right at the time of the announcement, a fact sheet published by the State Department confirms it “replaces a previous, more generalized agreement from 1980 and includes additional provisions that will protect the intellectual property rights of our scientists and researchers.” 

Officials from the department further note that the collaboration will enable tighter ties between the two countries, and help them collectively confront and compete with “malign influences” in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The fact sheet also highlights a range of ways in which the U.S. private sector has demonstrated its commitment to partnering with Greece in science and technology pursuits. On top of several other spotlights, it notes a memorandum of understanding Amazon Web Services recently entered with the country, and states “technology companies like Google, Cisco, Microsoft, Apple, Abbott, and Palantir helped to augment Greece’s COVID-19 response.”

The new agreement follows another the U.S. entered with the United Kingdom Friday, pledging to cooperate to drive technological innovation in the realm of artificial intelligence.