Final Report Summary - ABEST/A-EU (Argentinean Bureau for enhancing cooperation with the european community in the Science, Technology and Innovation Area) The ABEST/A-EU project objective aimed to improve and expand Argentina - European Union (EU) cooperation activities in Science, technology and innovation (ST&I). This objective was achieved by assisting Argentinean researchers, research groups and Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to make a better use of the European ST&I programmes and improving the interaction and joint participation with other Latin-American countries which also have cooperation agreements with the EU in the area (Brazil, Chile and Mexico). It is expected that through the implementation of this project the Argentinean participation in the ERA will be substantially enhanced. At the strategic level, the improvement of the dialogue around policy issues that will come up will help to create a more convergent policy environment and will facilitate cooperation between Argentina and the EU, and also between Argentina and other Latin-American countries. Moreover, it will help to build up the complementarities of the Latin America and EU science and technology systems and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of resources used on issues of common interest. The EU and Argentina have a long tradition of economic and political cooperation and the EU Member States constitute Argentina's most important trading partner. This has led to the development of fruitful cooperation in many areas of common interest and also to the signing of a special association agreement for the area of science and technology in 1999, which main aim is opening the European Research Area (ERA) to Argentinean entities and facilitating their access to the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and other instruments available for the promotion of those activities. In this political context, Argentinean researchers, research institutions and SMEs started to participate in European programmes at a very slow pace, although the priorities of many areas of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) are of high relevance for Argentinean problems and the country offers significant quality scientific counterparts to complement and strengthen the European scientific resources committed to them. It is expected that through the work of this Specific Support Action (SSA) this situation could be substantially improved. Related documents Final Report - ABEST/A-EU (Argentinean Bureau for enhancing cooperation with the european community in the Science, Technology and Innovation Area)
