“The goal was to introduce the Czech Republic as a technologically advanced country with capabilities for scientific research collaboration at the highest levels and meet American partners with research infrastructure and potential for bilateral cooperation on stimulating projects as well as learn more about possible financing of joint research by the United States,”  clarified CzechInvest’s Project Manager Roman Pašek. Along with state representatives, four researchers and representatives of prominent Czech research institutes and centers took part in the mission.

Hence, the delegation also met with representatives of the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health (NIH), which encouraged Czech researchers to actively pursue collaboration with American partners utilizing grant resources of both agencies. The NIH representative stressed that the agency has much interest in the outstanding research from the Czech Republic and it is willing to share extensively on the realization of joint research. NIH financing is founded on the principles of excellence and is not connected to the location of the financed project.

The mission’s program also included visits and discussions regarding research collaboration at the George Washington University, University of Maryland, Duke University in Durham of South Carolina, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Office of Naval Research Global, which has an office in Prague. The main themes, which identified interest regarding deeper cooperation, are in the research of modeling the human body, cybernetic security and cryptography, industry computerization and agency technology in the area of advanced materials and nanotechnology, and cooperation on newly built laboratories in the Czech Republic and the United States.

The entire program peaked at a reception at the Czech Embassy, where the Ambassador of the Czech Republic Petr Gandalovič welcomed Czech and American participants. “Strengthening collaboration between the Czech Republic and the United States of America is one of my priorities as Ambassador and I highly regard cooperating with CzechInvest on these activities. The mission revealed to Czech researchers the possibilities of collaboration which are underutilized despite these possibilities in the US belonging among the biggest ones in the world,” said Ambassador Gandalovič.