Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Monday signed an agreement aimed at fostering science and technology research collaboration with Germany in homeland and civil security matters.
The agreement is similar to ones DHS already has in place with Australia, Canada, France, Israel, Mexico, Singapore, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
“A world where technology opens so many doors also brings us great risk,” Napolitano said in a statement. “This agreement will allow us to share our innovations and collaborate on research in science and technology, to preserve freedoms while ensuring our mutual domestic security.”
The first planned project under the new agreement is a joint workshop with experts in the field of visual analytics to be held in Germany in June.
The agreement was negotiated between the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology branch and the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research. It calls for both organizations to “identify concrete short-term projects and deliverables in addition to long-term research coordination and policy development.”
All U.S. government agencies are eligible to participate in the agreement, which allows for involvement by German and U.S. non-profit organizations and universities in any research programs between the two countries. The agreement also provides for public-private partnerships and collaborative funding for science and technology research.