Polish-American Innovation Week (PAIW) is the first initiative which is a consequence of the US-Polish agreement on cooperation in the field of innovation. It was signed during the visit of President Barack Obama in Warsaw in June. The agreement was the result of the work, which on the Polish side involved the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Centre for Research and Development.

"The real innovativeness is the result of collaboration, combining ideas and resources. This is often international in nature. Our cooperation with the Americans will benefit not only our scientists. It will also be a great opportunity for the business community, which understands that you need to bet on innovation and collaboration with scientists" - said the Minister of Science and Higher Education Prof. Lena Kolarska-Bobińska, quoted in the National Centre for Research and Development press release.

The parties of the agreement signed in June committed to establish the Polish-American Innovation Council, which will manage joint projects. The inaugural meeting of the Council, co-presided by Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Science, Prof. Włodzisław Duch, will be one of the opening events of PAIW. The parties will sign a joint declaration setting out a plan for further activities under the Polish-American Innovation Programme. It is the only such bilateral programme established by the Americans.

"Polish science is at a high, global level. We can be both creative and innovative. I hope that we are attractive partners for Americans. A very dynamic development of start-ups and tech companies in the US gives our entrepreneurs a chance to successfully compete in Silicon Valley and enjoy success in global markets" - said the National Centre for Research and Development director, Prof. Krzysztof Jan Kurzydłowski, quoted in the release.

The Polish-American Innovation Week will be attended by a delegation of more than 100 Polish entrepreneurs, researchers and representatives of start-ups. They will have numerous opportunities to establish contacts and discuss the possibilities of cooperation in R&D with representatives of the US. That will be the purpose of discussions and debates on the various fields and industries.

The program of the event will also include two conferences organized at two of the best universities in the world: the University of California at Berkeley (19 Nov.) and Stanford (20 Nov.). During these meetings, in addition to debates and presentations on topics including biotechnology, energy, ICT and creative industries, there will also be a discussion on the possibilities of cooperation between Polish and American partners offered by the EU programs Horizon 2020 and the Operational Programme Smart Development.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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