Background:

Europe was the first of the world's major regions to develop a modern economy based on commercial agriculture and industrial development. It remains one of the world's major industrial regions, with average per capita income among the world's highest.  The countries of Western Europe in particular are among the world's most prosperous and highly developed and are predominantly market-oriented, with varying degrees of government intervention. As a unit, Europe accounts for approximately half of the world's international trade.  Agriculture employs less than one-eighth of the workforce in most European countries and is highly mechanized. Small family farms predominate in the west and south. Western Europe has productive and scientific agriculture.  Forestry is concentrated in Scandinavia.  Europe's most productive fisheries are in the North Atlantic Ocean and the adjacent waters of the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea, and the Bay of Biscay.

The level of science in the European Union (EU) is high and compares favorably with Asian and North American competitors, thus is attractive to US scientists seeking international cooperation.  Moreover, given the similarity in agricultural production and natural resource management problems facing the USA and EU, scientists from both areas are natural partners in addressing these existing and emerging challenges.  There is, in fact, already a high degree of cooperation between European research institutions and ARS in many research and development areas.

ARS Cooperation with European Institutions:

US-European Commission Task Force on Biotechnology Research

Useful Links:

OECD Fellowship Program

NSF Office of International Science and Engineering

European Science Week

European Commission Research