Mailis Reps, the Minister of Education and Research of Estonia and Jüri Ratas, the Prime Minister of Estonia met Marcia McNutt, the President of the National Academy of Science today in Washington. Strengthening cooperation in research and sharing best practices in research and innovation were discussed.
Jüri Ratas is very pleased that the cooperation in research between Estonia and the United States of America is becoming more and more thorough. “The interconnectivity of research and innovation are crucial for both countries and luckily, great science is not constrained by borders. This is why we must seek for common interests and learn from them, but also share Estonia’s experiences and positive example. It is also very important to demonstrate people links between research and solving everyday issues. Whether be it addressing population change, prolonging life expectancy, improving health, sustain clean environment, improving societal cohesion, better governance or something else,” said Ratas.
Both countries have lot to win from cooperation, said Mailis Reps. “Estonia with its open economy and smart people is an excellent platform for innovation. We are open to new ideas, solutions and possibilities,” said Reps. “On the other hand, the United States of America serves Estonia as an example with the cooperation between researchers, universities, private and public sector. Learning from their best practices help Estonia to plan the new research and innovation strategy better,” Reps added.
The Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Research were in the United States of America from Monday to Thursday. The main aims of the visit were strengthening cooperation in research and innovation as well as learning about the U.S.’ model of research cooperation.