Project

The new BILAT USA 4.0 project, funded by the European Union, has started on 1 February 2016. BILAT USA 4.0 continues activities started by the predecessor project BILAT USA 2.0 with the overall aim to enhance, support and further develop the research and innovation cooperation between the European Union and the United States of America.

A particular focus of the project activities will be put among others on an intensification of interactions between EU and US researchers and innovators, the support for the improvement of research and innovation framework conditions, the provision of analyses delivering a sound base for decision making and an enhanced coordination and synergies between different EU MS/AC and US policies and programmes.

The EU and the USA have highly-productive, immensely-innovative and excellence-driven research and innovation systems. Acknowledging the particular strengths of each landscape, a balanced transatlantic STI partnership of equals bears great potential and contributes to the ultimate goal of tackling societal challenges and boost economic competitiveness. International cooperation between power nodes results in a constant knowledge exchange and more efficient use of STI investment.

BILAT USA 4.0’s targeted transatlantic activities work towards:

  • Strategic priority setting for EU-US cooperation through identifying emerging STI fields with a high benefit and added value from cooperation, thus providing evidence-based input for policy decision-making
  • Stronger interaction between EU and US researchers through thematic events promoting funding opportunities on both sides and thus strengthening the quality and quantity of partnerships between STI actors in EU MS/AC and the USA
  • Establishing optimal framework conditions through proposing concrete solutions for eliminating cooperation obstacles deriving from researchers’ and innovators’ feedback, thus, creating an environment that favors joint solutions for global challenges
  • Enhanced coordination and synergies between different policies through analyzing EU, MS/AC and US programmes and detection of duplications, thus, contributing to a greater coherence, joint ownership and resource efficiency
  • Ensuring close synergies with calls launched in H2020 and their international dimension through screening of US-targeted actions in H2020 and liaising with relevant (ERA) projects to guarantee a consistent information exchange
  • Ensuring sustainability, project activities build on BILAT USA 2.0 and liaise with further existing initiatives.

The project BILAT USA 4.0 – a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) funded under Horizon 2020 – is structured in six work packages, all of them containing different sub-tasks:

  • WP1 supports the policy dialogue between the EU and the USA by activities such as detecting synergies and differences in MS/AC policy approaches towards the USA, thus supporting an effective coordination
     
  • WP2 enhances partnerships between researchers in “established” STI priority areas incl. innovation aspects. This established STI areas have been determined by the EU-US Joint Consultative Group (JCG) and are Marine and Arctic, Health, NMP and Transport Research. Different workshops bringing different actors of the research and innovation community together are planned.
     
  • WP3 identifies “emerging” (foresight) STI fields to initialise partnerships incl. innovation aspects. New areas of mutual benefit will be determined and pilot-tested in several workshops, giving recommendations to policy-makers.
     
  • WP4 engages and focuses in particular on industry actors in EU-US STI collaboration. Activities such as a EU-US cluster delegation visits or competitive calls bringing innovators on both sides together will have the effect of a strengthened innovation cooperation.
     
  • WP5 focuses on dissemination and communication of project results, activities and EU-US-related news.
  • WP6 is the overall project management.