U.S. Department of Commerce Announces
IT Partnerships with Egypt

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Commerce announced today the first-ever Sister Cities IT Partnership Conference, partnering U.S. technological know-how from the Washington Metropolitan area with an experienced, well-educated Egyptian workforce. The purpose of the conference is to provide U.S. small to medium-sized IT companies (SMEs) and academic institutions with access to new markets in the Middle East and Africa through Egypt by establishing partnerships with Egyptian companies and academic institutions. The partnerships will provide Egyptian firms the opportunity to develop new technological capacities through their alliance with American companies and academic institutions.

The Department's Technology Administration (TA) is working with the Baltimore, Maryland - Alexandria, Egypt Sister Cities organizations in organizing an Information Technology Partnership Conference to be held in Alexandria, Egypt May 8 –12, 2002. Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C.-based small to medium-sized information technology (IT) companies and Maryland-based academic institutions specializing in telemedicine and distance education are expected to sign three agreements to collaborate in these areas with their Egyptian counterparts. They include: Omni Communications, Baltimore, Md.; Infini, Washington, D.C.; Africa Pharmaceuticals, Washington, D.C.; the University of Maryland at College Park; and the University of Maryland at Baltimore.

This conference is another example of a growing list of Commerce activities between the United States and Egypt aimed at expanding U.S. high-tech business opportunities overseas. Other efforts include:

� The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Egypt's National Institute of Standards (NIS) have renewed a science and technology agreement through 2006. Under the existing agreement signed in 1996, NIST and NIS have collaborated in such areas as software engineering and flame-retardant materials made with the tools of nanotechnology. One team successfully developed the capability to broadcast high-accuracy time and frequency signals from Egypt's Nilesat satellite, a service that is vital to the performance of computer and telecommunication networks. In addition, NIST is assisting Egypt in efforts to broaden its chemical measurement capabilities and services.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will host intellectual property officials May 6 - 17 from nine countries, including Egypt, for a series of seminars and discussions on the U.S. intellectual property system. The program, which began in 1985, is the most thorough introduction to the U.S. intellectual property system offered annually. Fostering a worldwide appreciation for intellectual property is a must for the U.S. economy to thrive in the global marketplace and for American companies to do business abroad.