>Click to enlarge photo  Foreign Minister of Uruguay Gonzalo Fernandez and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice following the signing of a bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement in Washington, April 29, 2008.

During a ceremony at the Department of State, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Minister of Uruguay Gonzalo Fernandez today signed a bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement.

The new agreement provides a mechanism through which the United States and Uruguay can broaden cooperation in all scientific and technology fields, and move forward in areas of collaboration such as energy, health issues, science and technology education, engineering, sustainable development, agriculture, and natural resources. It will support government-to-government exchanges and scientific partnerships between private, academic, and non-governmental entities.

The agreement establishes a framework to facilitate exchange of scientific results and provides protection for intellectual property rights. This is the fifth such bilateral cooperation agreement signed between the United States and a Latin American partner, after Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Mexico.

Today’s agreement with Uruguay prioritizes the study of biodiversity through the collection, conservation, and exchange of biological and genetic resources in cooperative projects, which are often the key to advancing agricultural science and medicine, and understanding the impact of climate change on the environment.

>Click to enlarge photo  Foreign Minister Fernandez and Secretary Rice during signing ceremony at the Department of State.		>Click to enlarge photo  Foreign Minister Fernandez and Secretary Rice with Jose Luis Cancela from the Uruguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Uruguayan Ambassador Carlos Gianelli and U.S. Ambassador Frank E. Baxter.